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During the Northern Ireland conflict (1968–1998), paramilitary groups were supported and sustained by a sociocultural apparatus that helped legitimise their position within the community and disseminate their political message. From the use of flags and murals, to loyalist and republican parades, working-class vernacular culture revealed who was in control of various districts within the Province. For many working-class Protestants, loyalist songs were a key component of this culture, connecting the past and the present. Unlike the better-known marching band scene, which is a huge public spectacle, the loyalist song scene is much more private. Performed in a closed setting, within local bars and clubs, loyalist songs are reproduced for internal consumption rather than outward expression. Yet, in addition to celebrating a particular loyalist culture, such songs also serve an important function in authenticating and legitimising paramilitary groups, connecting them to older organisations, whose legacy they draw upon. This paper focuses on one such song, exploring how 'The Ballad of Billy McFadzean' is used to connect the Ulster Volunteer Force of the 1960s onwards, with the 1913 organisation of the same name. In so doing, the paper attempts to illustrate the political utility of song and how songs can be used to launder and legitimise conflict, as well as those engaged in political violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the experience of asylum seekers and refugees in Northern Ireland against the background of different periods of non-governance, arguing that consociationalism is hindering the implementation of an integration strategy. Northern Ireland is one of the only regions in the UK without a dedicated refugee integration strategy, in spite of one existing in draft form. As a devolved region, it sits outside the UK policy of asylum dispersal, but has to adhere to UK immigration legal policy. Northern Ireland has, however, the power to create and embed refugee integration policies and strategies as a devolved region. We seek to problematize the notion of refugee 'integration' within the context of a divided society, thereby questioning what it is asylum seekers and refugees are being asked to do within this discourse of integration. In a context where sectarianism continues to shape the spatial and social infrastructures, this is even more complex an aspiration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, researchers have sought to understand the impact of imprisonment; yet we have a limited understanding of the lived experience of cell-sharing. To address this gap in knowledge, this paper draws on 37 semi-structured interviews with imprisoned adult men in Northern Ireland. While demonstrating that, for most, cell-sharing was a negative experience, imbued with discomfort, unease and distress, a new conceptual framework is presented that seeks to understand the tactics people use to manage cellsharing, influences on their choice of tactics and the potential repercussions of these tactics. Potential implications for policy and practice are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) is a prospective, longitudinal study of a representative cohort of older adults living in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Its aim is to explore the social, behavioural, economic and biological factors of ageing and how these factors change as people age. The study has been designed to maximize comparability with other international studies of ageing thereby facilitating cross-country comparisons. This paper provides an overview of the design and methodology of the health assessment which was carried out as part of Wave 1. Methods: Three thousand, six hundred and fifty five community dwelling adults, aged 50 years and over participated in the health assessment as part of Wave 1 of NICOLA. The health assessment included a battery of measurements across various domains that addressed key indicators of ageing namely: physical function, vision and hearing, cognitive function, and cardiovascular health. This manuscript describes the scientific rationale for the choice of assessments, provides an overview of the core objective measures carried out in the health assessment and describes the differences in characteristics of participants who took part in the health assessment compared to those who did not take part. Results: The manuscript highlights the importance of incorporating objective measures of health in population based studies as a means of complementing subjective measures and as a way to advance our understanding of the ageing process. The findings contextualize NICOLA as a data resource within Dementias Platform UK (DPUK), the Gateway to Global Ageing (G2G) and other existing networks of population based longitudinal studies of ageing. Conclusion: This manuscript can help inform design considerations for other population based studies of ageing and facilitate cross-country comparative analysis of key life-course factors affecting healthy ageing such as educational attainment, diet, the accumulation of chronic conditions (including Alzheimer's disease, dementia and cardiovascular disease) as well as welfare and retirement policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sacrifice, integral to gift giving, remains unexplored and undertheorized in marketing. This paper aims to address this shortfall by analyzing the dynamics of sacrifice and theorizing how it serves as an engine of the gift chimney. Design/methodology/approach: The ethnographic investigation of public ceremonial gift giving in sectarian Northern Ireland describes and interprets the complex nature of the gift. Findings: The authors show that sacrifice is a plausible mechanism of the gift chimney and that the co-occurrence of monadic, dyadic and systemic giving in the same ritual acts as an accelerant. Social implications: The authors analyze how public ceremonial gift giving induces sectarian communities to risk convocation, enabling them to exorcize trauma sustained at one another's hands and to build a platform for future cross-community cohesion in a context of ineffective institutional efforts. Originality/value: Sacrifice propels circulation of the gift, creating a social bond between antagonists whose ethos of mutuality depends upon ritualized reciprocal recognition of entangled loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This small-scale study explores the attitudes of fifty initial teacher education (ITE) subject methods tutors towards the use of virtual reality (VR) in education and considers whether VR could be a catalyst for reviewing the partnership model within ITE programmes. In addition, this study offers a novel solution to ITE tutors' challenges when managing their own technological and pedagogical development alongside preparing student teachers for technology-enhanced learning (TEL). Building on previous research on ITE tutors' use of TEL across the island of Ireland, this paper discusses the synergy between the cognitive apprenticeship model and reverse mentoring that upends the classic co-operating teacher/student teacher hierarchy and positions all partners in ITE programmes as learning leaders at key points in the partnership process. An online survey comprising 51 items was administered to a purposive sample of 50 ITE tutors from four ITE providers, two in Ireland and two in Northern Ireland (NI), who were selected due to their developing interest in the use of virtual reality in teacher education. Data analysis using SPSS combined with thematic analysis of open-ended responses revealed that although the majority of ITE subject methods tutors conveyed open-minded and willing attitudes to embrace VR in the future, they identified a number of systemic issues that need to be addressed first. These include the disconnect between innovative pedagogical practices presented in university-based modules and the stark reality of technological deficits in some classrooms; the pedagogical and resource-based 'readiness' of ITE tutors to embed VR in their subject-specific teaching; and the need for curriculum-focused, VR resources for school-based use. As a result of this study, an incremental, cyclical approach to growing the body of knowledge around VR pedagogy is proposed in conjunction with new forms of collaboration between the partners in ITE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public procurement in the construction sector has been an historic problem in Northern Ireland (NI), to the extent that a public inquiry was held on the matter, including investigating why legal challenge are prevalent, and its findings reported in 2010; a 2019 NI Audit Office report into several major construction projects in NI highlighted legal challenges contributing to project delay, suggesting that perhaps there have not been improvements in relation to legal challenges since the public inquiry. This paper aims to ascertain the frequency of public procurement legal challenges in the construction sector in NI, not just the frequency of court cases, but any challenge to public procurement that delays projects. A multi-phase, mixed methods approach was adopted including a literature review, interviews and questionnaire surveys of procuring and contracting organisations to provide details of all forms of legal challenges, to understand why they challenge procurement decisions and to ascertain views on how public procurement is managed in Northern Ireland. The data reveal that approximately 40 out of 1488 procurement exercises in the last 7 years have had some form of legal challenge. The results also indicate that legal challenges are not as prevalent as the contracting side of the construction industry in NI believes them to be and suggest that the legacy from the public inquiry era around 2008–2012 continues to cloud perceptions of public procurement in NI. The analysis also reveals that the challenging political environment, issues with quality assessment and abnormally low tenders have been the main contributory factors to the rise in legal challenges to public procurement in construction in Northern Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence of the decline of the "traditional" standard employment arrangement and the rise of poor quality "bad" jobs has been escalating internationally and nationally. Nonetheless, despite much attention being given in recent decades to the changing nature of employment and job quality much of this discussion overlooks the interaction with gender. Using data from the Northern Ireland element of the United Kingdom Quarterly Labour Force Survey, as well as data from the Northern Ireland element of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings this paper aims to examine, over a twenty-year period from 1996 to 2016 (a) changes and continuities in terms of gendered patterns in the nature of employment and job quality; and (b) trends toward the "feminisation of employment norms," marked by an overall downward pressure on security of employment and job quality. The results presented in this paper show that in many ways gendered patterns in the nature of employment and job quality is a story of continuity. Women remain more likely to be in insecure employment, work varying hours, work short hours, and dominate in particular sectors and occupations which are more likely to have low pay. That said, the findings from this study also provide evidence of an overall convergence or "harmonising down" of employment security and quality over time, for both men and women. Indeed, as will be shown some of the sharpest declines in terms of job security and job quality have occurred amongst men, so that increasingly the nature of men's employment reflects the security and quality of employment that has been typically/ traditionally associated with women. Taken together, it is argued that these findings reflect what is referred to as a "feminisation of employment norms" characterised by both continuation and change in the gendered nature of employment and employment quality. This trend toward a "feminisation of employment norms" marks a low-road approach taken by Government in recent decades, with a continual prioritisation given to job quantity over job quality and the slow erosion of employment rights, protections and institutions over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Siobhan Dowd’s novel Bog Child explores a legacy of self-sacrifice in Ireland. From a contemporary context, it explores the second hunger strike of Long Kesh prison in the 1980s and a fictionalised famine in the first century as a more ancient example. Using Kathleen Jamie’s notion of ‘surfacing’ and Oona Frawley’s ‘memory cruxes’ as launching points to explore Bog Child, this paper works to illuminate how these temporally distant events are intricately connected through an extended history of self-sacrifice and hunger in Ireland. In the process, it also explores how, in that extended history, gendered notions have crept in, how they are reinforced and how they can be challenged. Bog Child is at its core a novel about the repetition of history, and particularly of historical cultural trauma, but one that ultimately works to offer a compassionate end to this repetition, as the paper will conclude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to present data about access to health and social care services during the COVID-19 pandemic for adults with learning disabilities across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected directly from 621 adults with learning disabilities and through separate proxy reports by family carers and paid support staff of another 378 adults with learning disabilities. The data were collected between December 2020 and February 2021 and concerned the use of health and social care services since the start of the first COVID-19 national lockdown in March 2020. Findings: Access to and use of health and social care services significantly reduced for adults with learning disabilities across the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic between March 2020 and February 2021, with many people not receiving any services at all during that period. Similar patterns were seen across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. However, data suggest some variations between countries for some services. Practical implications: Future pandemic planning must ensure that access to these essential services is not completely lost for adults with learning disabilities and their family carers, as it was in some cases during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Originality/value: This is the largest study about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and social care services for adults with learning disabilities in the UK. The authors primarily collected data directly from adults with learning disabilities, and worked with partner organisations of people with learning disabilities throughout the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accepted knowledge concerning dissident splits from the Provisional IRA is that different groups or individuals broke away because of their disagreement with the political progresses made during the peace process. This paper will argue that other factors were at play. Primarily, that 'deviant' cohesion played a significant role. While the question of politicialisation offers significant insight into the political dimension of this split, this article will adopt a more sociological approach. Answers provided through this sociological perspective are not intended to undermine the political explanation, rather to build upon them and provide a more holistic understanding of the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Good communication is consistently recognised as essential for effective complaint handling, while failures in communication correlate with risk of escalation. Nonetheless, communication in National Health Service complaint handling remains underexamined., Objectives: To examine complainants' lived experience of the complaints journey through (1) micro-analysis of their communication with National Health Service representatives; (2) their self-reported expectations and experiences throughout the complaints journey; to survey patient perceptions of the culture of the National Health Service; to develop 'Real Complaints' - an evidence-based communication training resource., Design: The project triangulates microlevel conversation analysis and discourse analysis of spoken and written complaints encounters with complainants' appraisals of those encounters in longitudinal case studies. This is underpinned by an audit of patient views of the cultural-institutional context of the National Health Service., Setting and Participants: Data were gathered in the complaints-handling services of two National Health Service trusts and a Patient Advocacy Service in Northern Ireland. Twenty-three complainants consented to longitudinal data collection and 58 to initial encounter recording; 115 members of the Patient Advocacy Service mailing list completed the cultural audit; 3 trust complaint handlers, 1 Patient Advocacy Service complaint handler and 2 trust complaints managers were interviewed., Data Sources: This yielded 1155 minutes of recorded calls, 113 written encounters, 36 diaries, 6 meetings, 23 interviews and 115 cultural audit responses collected over a period of 24 months., Results: Our analysis illuminates the dual nature of complaints: as personal expressions of dissatisfaction and as systemic critiques. The complaint experience is a dynamic journey with evolving narratives reflecting complainants' shifting perceptions, expectations and experiences of the 'system', both moment-by-moment and encounter-by-encounter in the overall journey. Key interpersonal priorities for complainants significantly affected complaint outcomes, most important of which was the need to be respected as a 'reasonable complainant'. Also key is the conversation analytic concept of affiliation, which involves taking a stance towards the event(s) being described that matches the complainant's stance. Use of affiliation by call handlers supported effective and efficient person-centred complaints handling, while absence of affiliation typically led to escalation of the scope, scale and emotional intensity of the complaint, sometimes to the point of an expressed intention to litigate (particularly in the case of written responses). Viewed holistically, successful complaints communication requires person-centredness, and affiliative interactions framed by shared expectations. These findings were applied in the development of Real Complaints Training and Guidance for spoken and written complaints communication., Limitations: The COVID pandemic significantly constrained trust participation, particularly the participation of front-line clinical staff, and one trust introduced 'telephone resolution' to which we were not given access. Additionally, calls viewed by staff as 'challenging' and ethnic minority communities are both under-represented in the final data set., Conclusions: Addressing the complainant's desire to be perceived as reasonable was revealed as crucial for fostering a more person-centred approach to handling complaints and addressing the gap between expectations and experience. This finding holds particular significance for recommendations, guidance and training relating to both spoken and written communication., Future Work: Direct extensions of the project include the piloting and evaluation of Real Complaints Training and further primary research involving communication between complainants and front-line service/clinical staff and complaint handling by ombudsman complaints investigators. An emerging question relates to social exclusion and access to complaints procedures., Study Registration: This study is registered as Research Registry: researchregistry5049., Funding: This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme (NIHR award ref: NIHR127367) and is published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research Vol. 12, No. 33. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

There are growing concerns about the impact of pollution on maternal and infant health. Despite an extensive correlational literature, observational studies which adopt methods that seek to address potential biases due to unmeasured confounders draw mixed conclusions. Using a population database of births in Northern Ireland (NI) linked to localized geographic information on pollution in mothers' postcodes (zipcodes) of residence during pregnancy, we examine whether prenatal exposure to PM 2.5 is associated with a comprehensive range of birth outcomes, including placental health. Overall, we find little evidence that particulate matter is related to infant outcomes at the pollution levels experienced in NI, once we implement a mother fixed effects approach that accounts for time-invariant factors. This contrasts with strong associations in models that adjust for observed confounders but without fixed effects. While reducing ambient air pollution remains an urgent public health priority globally, our results imply that further improvements in short-run levels of prenatal PM 2.5 exposure in a relatively low-pollution, higher-income country context, are unlikely to impact on birth outcomes at the population level., (© 2024 The Author(s). Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Internal migration research is paying increasing attention to the role in migration behaviour of having non‐resident family—family living outside of the household—living close by, and also to non‐migration and staying in general. Combining these two themes, this paper investigates the role of non‐resident family ties in rural staying for adults aged 31–64. Using a mixed methods analysis of survey and interview data from the Netherlands, Germany and Northern Ireland (UK), we examine if the presence of non‐resident family nearby relates to future intentions to stay in the rural region, and we explore the meanings of different family relations and how they relate to past and ongoing staying behaviours. Our findings reveal that living near non‐resident children and in‐laws increases the likelihood of the intention to stay in the rural region for the rest of one's lifetime. While the quantitative analyses suggest that the presence of parents in the area does not contribute to future staying intentions, the interviews revealed that parents' residential proximity was integral in the original staying decision. Non‐resident family members provide emotional and instrumental support, offer location‐specific structural opportunities, and provide a sense of security. Partly, family obligations also play a role in staying, yet not in the sense that rural stayers are 'stuck in place' because of family ties, but rather in an implicit way, intertwined with senses of belonging and attachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At no time in recent history has it been more exciting to be a student of European patent law. Over the past ten years Europe has sought to create and restructure a significant portion of its patent law apparatus, including the introduction of a 'Unitary Patent' ('UP') that has effect in 17 European Union Member States (and counting), and the creation of a Unitary Patent Court ('UPC') that entered into force on 1 June 2023. The compelling policies underlying these dramatic changes are well documented, including enhanced uniformity, cost reductions, and other efficiencies. Indeed, the European patent system is poised to welcome international patent actors with a well-thought-out procedural regime. Yet all good policies must be supported by a legitimate legal foundation. The United Kingdom's highly publicized and often dramatic departure from the EU has reverberated throughout the European establishment, affecting issues relating to the economy, trade, immigration, labor, and Northern Ireland, to name just some of the most obvious. Perhaps what is not so evident, however, is the adverse legal effect that Brexit has had on the UPC, to such an extent that we are dubious about the court's legitimacy. Make no mistake, even if we prefer a fully integrated EU solution, we support the creation of UPC and the entire unitary initiative. However, in this paper we argue that it must be done in a manner that is legally principled, which requires an amended and re-ratified Unitary Patent Court Agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early years education is offered free to all three-year-olds in Northern Ireland, prior to starting primary school, and most parents take advantage of this offer for their children. An experience of early years education has been shown to considerably improve life chances and to be important in starting the process of building a shared society, particularly important in a divided society emerging from conflict such as Northern Ireland. This paper will examine the degree to which that provision is segregated using GIS analysis and explore the factors which influence those divisions within the wider context of a deeply segregated system of education. Pre-school education in Northern Ireland is found to be highly segregated by community background, and there is a tendency for pre-schools to be more segregated than the areas in which they are located. This may exacerbate existing divisions within education and adding a further year of segregated education may provide a further impediment to building a shared future for communities in Northern Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on Irish writer, playwright and television screenwriter Eugene McCabe’s fictional representation of the Northern Irish ‘Troubles’ in his trilogy Victims, published in the collection Heaven Lies about Us (2005). Living most of his life on his family farm on the Monaghan/Fermanagh border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, McCabe had a deep understanding of the historically entrenched hatreds, bigotry and fundamentalisms of its inhabitants, and his fiction reflects the human tragedy underlying the violence. This paper draws on an eco-philosophical framework to suggest that by capturing the entanglement between the natural and cultural place-world McCabe’s poetics offers, from a liberal humanist perspective, an indictment of anthropocentric patriarchy at the root of violent dispute. McCabe’s literary world, evoking natural and cultural landscapes, encapsulates the absurdity of isolating territories via false political borders, marginalizing the value of bioregion and diversity and ignoring the vital oneness of humanity. Thus, though McCabe’s short stories are indeed culturally and politically specific, in shedding light on the self-destructiveness of human behaviour they are ultimately timeless and universal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article interrogates community photography through the prism of class in the context of Northern Ireland. It is based on findings of an ethnographic study of Northern Irish archives that hold Troubles-era photographs. Drawing on Bourdieu's theory of capital, the paper demonstrates how deeply entrenched ideas about class and artistic value shape access to archival photographs and information about their authorship. The author considers how one Northern Irish archive has taken an ambiguous approach to showing the work produced by these photographers in an effort to accrue social and economic capital in a difficult funding environment. While the work of working-class photographers is frequently exhibited, it is rarely shown without first being transformed through artistic interventions. As these photographs are appropriated into new artworks, the original image, and the authorship of working-class photographers, are obscured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to US university students, far less is known about the scale of unwanted and non-consensual sexual experiences [USEs] faced by UK university students, particularly those in Northern Ireland [NI]. The Sexual Experiences Survey (Short Form [SEF-SFV]) is considered a popular tool for measuring USEs but has not been updated since 2007; there is some indication that additional perpetrator tactics may be more inclusive of students' experiences and that certain scoring strategies may impact our understanding of data. This paper examines the USEs reported by 1033 students attending either of NI's traditional universities. Participants completed a modified version of the SES-SFV that included two additional perpetration tactics: "ignorance of refusal" and "taken by surprise." Sixty-three percent (n = 650) reported experiencing at least one USE, but this reduced to 53% (n = 546) without the new perpetrator tactics. Female and non-heterosexual students reported significantly more USEs than male and heterosexual students, respectively. "Taken by surprise" was highly endorsed (81%, n = 525) and the most commonly endorsed tactic. Whilst dichotomous scoring is the most straightforward, continuous scoring affords greater analytical opportunities whilst still retaining frequency of USEs. "Taken by surprise" may be a relevant addition but further mixed-methodological research is required to assess its validity among larger and more diverse samples. SES-SFV scoring options should be also validated using male and mixed-gender samples, particularly categorical scoring to ensure current construction is reflective of the wider student experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: House price-to-rent (P-t-R) ratios are among the most widely used measures of housing market conditions. Given the theoretical and apparent bidirectional, causal relationships and imbalances between the housing market, broader economy and financial market determinants, it is important to understand the relationship between macro- and micro-economic characteristics in relation to the P-t-R ratio to enhance the understanding of housing market dynamics. This paper studies the joint dynamics and persistence of house prices and rents and examines the temporal interactions of the P-t-R ratio and economic and financial determinants. Design/methodology/approach: The authors examine the lead–lag relationships between the P-t-R ratios and a spectrum of macroeconomic variables using cointegration and causality methods, initially at the aggregate position and also across housing types within the Northern Ireland housing market to establish whether there are subtle differences in how various housing segments react to changes in economic activity and market fundamentals. Findings: The findings reveal price switching dynamics and some very distinct long- and short-run relationships between macroeconomic and financial indicators and the P-t-R ratios across the various housing segments. The results exhibit monetary supply, foreign exchange markets and the stock market to be important drivers of the P-t-R ratio, with P-t-R movements seemingly tied, or are in tandem, with the overall economy, particularly with the construction sector. Practical implications: The study shows that the P-t-R ratio can be used as an early measure for establishing the effects of macroprudential policy changes and how these may manifest across housing tiers and quality, which can further act as a signal for preventing or at least mitigating future irrational price cyclicity. These insights serve to inform housing and economic policy and macroprudential policy design, principally within lending policy and the effect of regulatory interventions and further enhance the understanding of the P-t-R ratio on housing market structure and dynamics. Originality/value: This study is the first in the housing literature that examines the causal relationships between the P-t-R ratio and macroeconomic activity at the sub-market level. It investigates whether and how money supply, inflation, foreign exchange markets, general economic productivity and other important macroeconomic factors interact with the pricing of different property types over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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To what extent do teachers' sense of their religious, cultural and national identity impact on their attitudes and approaches to the teaching of religion in publicly funded schools in Northern Ireland? In a context where schooling remains largely separate according to perceived religious identity, can religious education contribute positively to the peace process in a society emerging from conflict? This paper will draw on research conducted with serving teachers, teacher education students and other groups to examine the role of religion in schools and to explore how it may contribute, positively or negatively, to the improvement of relations between communities still divided by conflicting nationalistic loyalties. Some comparisons will be made with the significance of religion in education in other conflicted societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty years ago, Northern Ireland's previously prominent presence in the headlines of the yellow press dwindled to virtual non-existence. As the region's three-decade long conflict went into abeyance and the daily death tally dropped, the vagaries of the region's little-understood, political tensions were assigned to little-read columns hidden deep inside broadsheets. Brexit has, however, re-exposed the deep scars and political acrimony that still blight Northern Ireland. Northern Irish schools have seen the introduction of series of educational initiatives aimed at ameliorating enduring inter-community hostility, including the creation of a model of citizenship education designed to enhance pupils' political understanding and literacy. Drawing on recent survey data on the attitudes and perspectives of 16-year-olds, this paper explores how citizenship is being delivered in schools in Northern Ireland and exposes young people's level of engagement with current political issues, including the possibility of a united Ireland. Although results are largely in line with expectations, there are some indications that this generation may not be simply marching in step with the same drumbeat that has been followed by generations of their forebearers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the experience of Shared Teachers (STs) who were employed on temporary contracts across school partnerships designed to enrich and integrate the educational experiences of children in primary schools in rural and religiously diverse areas in Northern Ireland, as part of a specific Shared Education Programme. In a society emerging from conflict, where Shared Education is advocated both to improve the quality of education and contribute to more positive community relations, this paper critically explores the strengths and limitations of using a ST initiative to develop inter-school collaboration. There were clear educational benefits in sharing resources, planning and curricular enrichment but the potential to affect positive community relations was often limited. STs were used for routine tasks within individual partnership schools, rather than normalising shared experience where pupils are educated together. STs lacked the institutional support necessary to challenge the cultural and social mores embedded within a divided society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential segregation is pervasive in many societies. People making residential moves in these divided contexts may increase or decrease segregation levels. In this paper, the divided society of Northern Ireland is used as an example to explore how residential mobility relates to residential segregation by religion. Survey evidence for this country consistently shows a preference for mixed neighbourhoods, yet actual patterns of geographical mobility suggest people move to same‐religion areas. The paper uses the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS) to explore the individual and contextual factors that influence the destinations of internal migrants by religion between 2001 and 2011. How they move up or down the contextual 'religion ladder' of localities is modelled with reference to both their individual socio‐demographic and neighbourhood characteristics in 2001. It is found that there are still individual religious differentials in people's destinations. Catholics, for instance, are more likely than Protestants to move to more Catholic areas, suggesting that individual religion remains important despite the Peace Process. Some possible reasons for this are considered with a partial explanation being found in the geographical patterning of the population. Existing patterns of residential segregation constrain moves in religious space for the majority of people. It is concluded, nevertheless, that an individual's religion remains a considerable factor contrary to expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thousands of examiners are employed to mark candidate scripts from the suite of public examinations offered to students during the compulsory and post-compulsory schooling phases in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. All examiners undergo training to ensure that they interpret correctly, and apply consistently, the mark scheme for their particular paper. Traditionally this training has been delivered face-to-face, but several benefits of an online training environment have been identified. This paper outlines the findings of an experimental study designed to quantify and compare the effects of face-to-face and online training on experienced examiners' marking reliability. A sample of 89 experienced examiners was randomly allocated to either a face-to-face or online training group. The participants marked 30 General Certificate of Secondary Education History scripts prior to receiving training and another 30 scripts following training. Two measures of reliability were calculated: marking accuracy (absolute mark differences) and consistency (rank order correlations). The findings suggest that both modes of training had comparable, statistically significant positive effects on examiners' accuracy and consistency. The evidence indicates that online training may be an effective alternative to face-to-face training for the purposes of standardising examiners' marking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the 2008 UK-Ireland conference held in Belfast, Northern Ireland from March 18 to 20, 2008 is presented. Topics include spatial dimension of sustainability and social justice, oncoming crisis of peak oil and the transformation of carbon-dependent economies. It was attended by 250 delegates including chair of the UK Sustainable Development Commission Jonathan Porritt, Cambridge University professor Susan Owens, and Julian Agyeman from Tufts University.

Since Serge Doubrovsky coined the term autofiction in 1977, it has taken on a wide variety of meanings, and recent scholarship has framed autofiction as the inability of the reader to interpret a text within either a fictional or factual framework alone. Often this is expressed by an integration of the Spectral into the narrative, for the ghost inhabits the murky space between the ontological poles of fiction and referentiality. Despite this broader conception, scholarly discussion of autofiction has considered only literary sources, and it has not yet been associated with other forms, such as film. This paper takes autofiction as a point of departure and suggests that it provides a neat framework with which to analyse Mark Cousins’ genre-blurring film of 2015 I Am Belfast, in which he attempts to tell the story of his home city, with particular focus on the presence of the Spectral as a means to articulate the traumatic history of Northern Ireland’s capital city. Although a tale of one city, the film is a tale of two ghosts. Firstly, while Cousins is ever-present in a documentary-like voice-over, he communicates with a ghostly 10,000-year-old woman called “Belfast” who guides the viewer through the city and narrates its traumatic story, and secondly, the spectre of Belfast’s ill-fated ocean liner, the Titanic, stalks the cinematography, as if the Titanic’s tragic demise prefigured the political crisis. In short, this paper suggests that the interplay between the fictional and the real in the process of traumatic testimony, led by the inclusion of the spectral, renders I Am Belfast a fitting example of autofictional film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper systematically describes the different types of political violence that occurred in Northern Ireland between 1968 and 1972, examining how they interacted and fueled each other. To measure the level of political violence in Northern Ireland, traditional quantitative approaches use variables such as the number of conflict-related deaths, paramilitary attacks, or riots; the goal of this paper, instead, is to disaggregate acts of violent contention by actor, type, and target. Relying on Quantitative Narrative Analysis (QNA), all the violent actions perpetrated by the actors participating in the conflict have been recorded, coded, and analyzed. Three main types of violence in Northern Ireland are identified: a) protest-related violence—violent interactions among protesters, counterprotesters, and police before, during, and after mass demonstrations; b) sectarian violence—includes riots and clashes between members of the two main ethno-national communities; and c) armed conflict—violent actions by paramilitary groups and security forces. While originating from different conflict situations, these three types of violence affected each other, as they altered, and were altered by, the broader political context. Conceptual and methodological disaggregation of political violence are encouraged to better understand violent conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decisions to live in a certain place or region are partly prompted by material and symbolic factors of that place or region. This paper focuses on the importance of these factors for rural young adults based on a household survey in three rural areas in the Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Germany. It examines how rural young adults appreciate material and symbolic factors, and to what extent they play a role in their expectations to stay in the area. The results show that the environmental characteristics of rural areas and senses of belonging to rural areas, and not so much the social network in those areas, are highly appreciated and important for expectations to stay. Symbolic factors are slightly more important than material factors, but this differs for specific geographical contexts. Furthermore, while a relatively low share felt part of their local community, a sense of community still played a major role in expecting to stay. Overall, this paper shows that some factors that play a role in staying expectations are already highly appreciated, whereas factors that show lower appreciations do not always play a role in staying expectations, and thus may be of less concern for policy makers. • The results stress the distinction between the appreciation of rural areas and their contribution to staying expectations. • The results illustrate the role of different regional contexts in the analysis of material factors and symbolic factors. • The rural and its belonging, and not social networks in rural areas, are highly appreciated and relevant for staying expectations. • Poorly appreciated factors, such as housing, are not always a concern for policies which aim to support rural young adults to stay. • Sense of community has the greatest potential impact for policies which aim to support rural young adults to stay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the signing of the Belfast Agreement, Belfast (Northern Ireland, UK) entered a new phase of urban development. Moving away from notions of division, Belfast City Council envisaged an inclusive and accessible city. Over a 20-year period, there have been significant changes in Belfast's physical, socio-cultural, and political structure, reframing the city as a post-conflict space. However, there has been limited analysis of the role of parks in this process. This paper examines perceptions of parks, asking whether the promotion of a "shared spaces" policy aligns with local use. Through a mixed-methods approach, park users were surveyed to reflect on the meanings of parks in the city. We argue that although residual interpretations associated with historical socio-cultural divisions remain, parks are predominately multi-community amenities. The analysis illustrates that although destination parks attract greater patronage, there is visible clustering around 'anchor' sites at the local scale, especially in neighbourhoods with significant Catholic or Protestant identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human trafficking and modern slavery remain an evolving research topic because of the complex and 'illicit' nature of this type of offending, which relies primarily on victim compliance to avoid detection. Worldwide, the exact number of victims of human trafficking is unknown because of the 'hidden' profile of such criminal activity. The International Labour Organisation (2017) estimated that worldwide, on any day in 2016, there were 40 million victims of modern slavery. This is likely a significant under-representation due to the implicit need for secrecy and for victims to be 'hidden', sometimes in 'plain sight', from the local communities within which they are being 'held' by the perpetrators. The focus of this study was to develop a profile of perpetrators within Northern Ireland and to explore coercive control tactics to inform assessment of risk and the development of appropriate offence-focused intervention(s). This paper explores key themes that were identified through the completion of a retrospective content analysis of case files accessed through the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI)'s case management system. An audit tool was created, which supported identification of three key themes: perpetrator perspective, victim vulnerabilities, and coercion/control tactics. The information collated from the case files supports the creation of evidencebased training to develop practitioner skills in assessing risks associated with this type of offending, succinct analysis within court reports, and creation of tailored interventions to engage service-users who have been convicted of humantrafficking offences. This study has also identified themes which will aid in the potential creation of specific programmes of work with service-users, with the focus on reducing the creation of further victims from this type of offending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Trabalhos em Lingüística Aplicada is the property of Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Portal de Periodicos Eletronicos Cientificos 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 compares audit regulatory space in local government between the U.K.'s four countries – England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. It addresses current arrangements and practices, their historical background, and rationales for regulation in order to derive lessons for the future of public audit. It draws on the notion of regulatory space as extended through new audit spaces that specifically include public audit. The study is based on interviews with audit professionals and policy makers in each country, extensive documentation review, and observation. The comparison is structured by four themes: 'Organisation and fragmentation' concerns how the system is accredited and imbued with institutional capital. 'Independence and competition' addresses the independence of accounting firms and auditors, 'audit scope' reporting, and 'inspection' the assessments and rankings that have become part of public audit. The four countries exhibited similar emphasis on financial audit and reporting. They treated performance and fairness aspects differently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine the national curricula for primary mathematics for each of the four constituent nations of the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) for the estimation-related opportunities they offer children. Framed against four conceptually and procedurally different forms of estimation (computational, measurement, quantity and number line), the analyses indicate that computational estimation and measurement estimation were addressed in all four curricula, albeit from a skills-acquisition perspective, with only the Scottish offering any meaningful justification for their inclusion. The process of rounding, absent in the Northern Ireland curriculum, was presented as an explicit learning objective in the English, Scottish and Welsh curricula, although it was only the Scottish that made explicit the connections between rounding and computational estimation. In all curricula, both quantity estimation and number line estimation were effectively absent, as was any explicit acknowledgement that learning to estimate, irrespective of its form, has a developmental role in the learning of other mathematical topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines an initiative promoting collaboration between schools located in a city setting in Northern Ireland, which is broadly divided along ethnic and political lines. The schools involved, like the vast majority of schools in Northern Ireland, educate Protestant and Catholic children separately. This presents particular challenges for school collaboration as it implies the establishment of new, connected relationships in an education system, which is historically and contemporaneously more characterised by division. Since 2007, the schools in this study have been involved in an education initiative which promotes cross-sectoral shared learning in core areas of the curriculum with a view to promoting school improvement; the additional, indirect goal is also about improving community relations. However, over this period, the relationship between the institutions has deepened, leading schools to examine how they can sustain partnership and evolve collaborative practice. This paper explores how the partnership has evolved and assesses its effectiveness as a collaborative enterprise. The paper concludes by demonstrating how effective collaboration between schools in Northern Ireland mitigates the potentially negative impacts of educating children separately, but also how effective models of school collaboration are capable of providing enhanced learning opportunities for pupils and are also capable of developing the communities in which they are located. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper evaluates some proposed improvements to the analysis of gridded population data, using as a case-study the religious segregation that is observed in gridded population data from Northern Ireland: first, the use of cost surfaces rather than simple Euclidean (straight line) distances to represent the interactions between gridded geographic areas; second, a method for creating gridded cost surfaces that takes account of vector features (such as roads and physical obstructions); third, the limitation of cost surfaces to a tightly defined 'local' set of areas, with a view to reduce computational overheads significantly without adversely impacting the accuracy of subsequent results. The results suggest that all three improvements have merit. The paper further explores the effect of using log-ratios rather than percentages (minimal) and of local rather than global measures of segregation (which allows for considerably greater insight into population characteristics). Although the case-study and results apply specifically to gridded population data, the results of the paper have wider implications for the analysis of any type of zonal data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: In March 2020, the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI) had to adapt its practice in response to Coronavirus, which for many of us poses the biggest threat ever seen in our lifetime. The impact of this outbreak can be felt globally, as countries around the world close their borders and cities shut down. In response to the pandemic and the unprecedented restrictions imposed by the UK Government and NI Executive,1 PBNI made very significant changes to its operational practice and working arrangements. From the beginning of March, the situation in Northern Ireland was changing daily and there was a need for speedy and effective measures to be taken. Importantly a key part of PBNI’s strategy was to communicate decisionmaking to all staff in order to provide reassurance and some certainty to staff in difficult circumstances. This paper sets out the changes that PBNI made to adapt to the new circumstances between March and June 2020, including developing new operational guidance for staff, accelerating our implementation of smart justice and implementing an effective internal communication plan to ensure that staff understood what decisions were being taken and importantly why they were being implemented. Ten staff members2 and two service users were asked to answer questions and keep diaries about the challenges and opportunities they faced during COVID-19, and their responses are incorporated into this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the productive potential of walking methods in post‐conflict space, with particular emphasis on Northern Ireland. We argue that walking methods are especially well suited to studying post‐conflict spatial arrangements, yet remain underutilised for a variety of reasons. Specifically, we argue that walking methods can "trouble" dominant productions of post‐conflict space, revealing its storied depth, multi‐temporality, and the alternative narratives of the past that frequently remain hidden in places touched by violence. Critically, employing such place‐sensitive approaches challenges "bad scripts" that reify polarised narratives of conflicted places, thereby enabling the writing of new spatial stories that are potentially generative of new research questions and scholarly insights rooted in overlooked, marginalised, or taken‐for‐granted people, places, and landscapes. Informed by both authors' ongoing research journeys, we argue that walking in troubled places can help scholars dig into the reservoirs of emotion, affect, vitality, and multi‐temporality people experience in post‐conflict landscapes, thus opening up new research vistas in places scholars might not have sought to look using only sedentary methods. This paper explores the productive potential of walking methods in post‐conflict space, with particular emphasis on Northern Ireland. We argue that walking methods are especially well suited to studying post‐conflict spatial arrangements, yet remain underutilised for a variety of reasons. Specifically, we argue that walking methods can "trouble" dominant productions of post‐conflict space, revealing its storied depth, multi‐temporality, and the alternative narratives of the past that frequently remain hidden in places touched by violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the subject of division in contemporary Ireland. Contrasting recent legalisation regarding same-sex marriage and abortion in the Republic with the socio-political approach to these matters in Northern Ireland provides an opportunity to analyse how past conflicts structure the sociopolitical landscape and are manifested in political division and social unrest. The impact of Brexit incited instability and a possible return of the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland, putting immense pressure on the political point de capiton of the Good Friday Agreement. The border that previously divided the island and had a significant impact on its inhabitants can be compared with the psychical division of a conscious/ unconscious split subject. This invites scrutiny through reading these contemporary events through a Lacanian understanding of how speaking subjects are colonized by discourses and language in a way that can symbolically oppress individuals and groups. This paper demonstrates how unconscious psychical divisions can manifest and be visible in divisive oppressive laws and can trigger a return to acrimonious conflict and violence when signifiers fail to represent past trauma. By symbolically addressing trauma, there are opportunities for conflicting political parties to coherently articulate these divisions and demonstrate unity in this period of potential transformation, paving the way to stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the state of Physical Education in Northern Ireland's schools before, during and after the Second World War with a focus on government changes and the role of one of the first organisers to be appointed there to cater for the subject. In the mid-1920s, the new Northern Ireland Ministry of Education was initially of the view that the teaching of physical education was being adequately catered for. However, a scarcity of facilities in many schools and the poor levels of staff expertise in the subject meant that standards remained low in comparison with other nations in Western Europe, despite the area being part of the United Kingdom. Following the passing of the 1938 Physical Training and Recreation Bill, the appointment of inspectors and organisers for physical education by the Northern Ireland Ministry of Education was an important step in improving the situation. Despite this, the provision of trained PE teachers remained an issue throughout the 1940s and following much discussion, in 1953, the first PE College for female students in Northern Ireland was established. Within this context, this paper explores the early career of Joan Burnett Knight, an English-born PE organiser who was employed there from 1944-1950. Through her work in the schools, and her organisation of short-term training course for teachers, along with her public activities, she was able to raise awareness of the value of the subject. This article also discusses the 1949 Lingiad Games, in which she led the Northern Ireland team. In doing so, it illustrates Miss Burnett Knight's career aspirations and her independent character before the establishment of gender equality measures in employment and at a time when many women were confined to domestic roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sets out the socio-spatial practices of PS2 and Street Society in territorialised, post conflict Northern Ireland – whose work combines pedagogical and improvisation theory to prototype distinctive social models. These practices were formed by a continual process of practical involvement and reflection (through writing) and evaluation (funding permitting), alongside the author-practitioners' search for theoretical concepts that would bring clarity and an alternative perspective to the processes and outcomes. Concepts and approaches taken from pedagogical theory and, uniquely in the case of architecture, improvisational theory, will be used to explore critical aspects of the specific practices, and more generally assert that such socio-spatial 'street pedagogy' offers a space of rehearsal and ultimately, a site for the development of socially-just aesthetics. The paper thus proposes a theoretical scaffolding for practices which increase diversity and diminish resource consumption in the contexts of climate emergency and a politics of precarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of specialised prison units (SPUs) as a means of countering violent extremism and radicalisation is growing in popularity in many jurisdictions. Yet, little is known about their ability to prevent radicalisation in the long term, limit the spread of violent extremism, or promote de-radicalisation and disengagement. This paper begins to explore these issues by reflecting on the over 40 years of experience that Northern Ireland (NI) has had in this area. It is argued that the international community tends to have an incomplete understanding of: a) why SPUs were created and installed in NI; b) how their regime, conditions, and underlying rationale changed over time; and c) the long-term consequences that SPUs have had on the spread of violent extremism, de-radicalisation, and disengagement. This paper seeks to make an original contribution to this literature by highlighting the role psychological, situational, social, and political factors played in shaping the effectiveness of SPUs in NI. By providing a more in-depth analysis of why SPUs in NI entrenched extremism rather than promoted disengagement or de-radicalisation, other jurisdictions will be encouraged to reflect on how these factors may affect the success of their own SPUs in countering violent extremism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a critical reflection on teacher education and professional development in Northern Ireland between 2003 and 2018. It argues that whilst there is much about teacher education in Northern Ireland that is to be commended, the unique socio-historical, political and cultural context within which it operates may be considered as a 'Wicked Problem' which currently mitigates the potential to develop the teaching profession to best effect. Two key issues which highlight the Wicked Problem are addressed: the extended process of teacher education review; and a focus on the infrastructure of the system. The paper concludes by suggesting that future policy priorities need to value and promote existing strengths and cohere around the new approach to 'Shared Education' and the 'Learning Leaders Strategy' in order to build a mature system of teacher education to meet the challenges of a changing Northern Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Service user and carer involvement in social work education is a mandatory requirement in the UK. The role of service users, carers and survivors in Northern Ireland is fundamental to shaping social work students understanding of the unique life histories and experiences of others and acknowledging service user perspectives through the lens of experts by experience. This paper outlines the organic approach the authors adopted in developing and co-producing the Shared Stories Narrative Model for supporting service users, carers and survivors to participate in the direct teaching within the undergraduate social work degree at a university in Northern Ireland. The model is the product of extensive engagement with a group of young people who have experience of social work involvement. The model will be explained and applied to a case example. Reflections from the young people (experts by experience) and social work students are included. This paper seeks to demonstrate how the Shared Stories Narrative Model can be considered an effective framework for supporting meaningful service user involvement in social work education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its formation, Northern Ireland has become a country synonymous with conflict. Political and religious differences have transcended into sectarian violence and warfare, most recently during the Troubles, which has been ongoing since 1969. Official accounts argue that this conflict ended in 1998 with the unionist and nationalist peace process, however this article discredits that assertion and shows that from the perspectives of politics, policing, and victims, this conflict is an outstanding issue in Northern Ireland today. Using secondary data, this paper demonstrates that though policing has evolved in structure, many of its threats, concerns, and roles have changed very little from those apparent during the conflict. The victim perspective argues that the extent of loss and pain will always hold the Troubles open and present and that motivates many in activism, whose political landscape has decayed since 1998. The idea of social identity theory has brought such issues forward and contributed to the understanding seen in this article. The overarching theme of this paper is that the Troubles is held in a paused position for different reasons from each perspective, but that when combined a long-term understanding of the conflict can be harnessed in order to highlight and combat recurring themes of the conflict to aid in bringing an end to such a brutal episode of Northern Ireland's history. [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.)

Implementation is the carrying out of planned, intentional activities that aim to turn evidence and ideas into policies and practices that work for people in the real world—the "how" as well as the "what" (Centre for Effective Services, 2022). Whilst partnership, relationship and trust often feature in implementation, until relatively recently it has been neglected in the research and literature. This paper focuses on the overarching learning on the role of trust and relationships drawn from a large-scale evaluation of the implementation of family support services by 36 organisations in Northern Ireland. Trust and relationships were found to be important enablers of change for services and families alike. Specific behaviours were identified that contributed to the building of trusted relationships, which, in turn, created the conditions for change to happen. This learning develops emerging work on trust among stakeholders, applying it to engagement with families as integral to the implementation of effective family support services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]