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In Ireland, as with many international jurisdictions, digital technology is firmly positioned at the core of educational discourses. However, despite a rise in 'techno-positivity' among professionals in schools, these positive attitudes do not seem to permeate through to practice nor in effective learning outcomes. As a result, given the introduction of the Digital Learning Framework in the Irish schooling system, this study focuses on the initial experiences of those who lead the initiative within their respective schools and the contextual nuances they must navigate in the design of the enactment. This qualitative study comprised in-depth interviews with the Digital Learning Leaders of 10 different schools. Data evidenced the initial organisational considerations a leader must reckon with during the planning phase, and early indications of pedagogical impact, leading to a conclusion regarding contextual literacy. The research also highlights the subtle policy shift of embedding digital technologies within school evaluation mechanisms, heightening a sense of accountability associated with successful enactment.

This paper examines the vision, strategy and leadership support structures for Irish primary schools where leadership is specifically referenced, with focus on links to transformational and distributed school leadership. Of particular interest is how transformational and distributed leadership models could aid effective and sustainable leadership enactment in times of exceptional change. This article offers new insights into primary school and system leaders' perceptions of transformational school leadership and the factors that facilitate and/or inhibit transformational school leadership for the whole school community with a qualitative study. The overarching research question comprised: what are the perceptions of primary school and system leaders relating to the facilitating and inhibiting factors affecting the implementation of transformational school leadership, and is this model perceived to build relations with parents and the wider school community? The data highlight several factors that transcend both transformational and distributed leadership and, with previous research by these authors, inform the construction of a synthesised model of transformational and distributed school leadership for the whole school community aligned with the most recent Irish primary school policy document—'Looking at Our School 2022: A Quality Framework for Primary Schools and Special Schools (LAOS)'. The authors also accompany this model with a roadmap that may support approaches to school leadership practice for the whole school community, at the primary and post-primary levels, in Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the experiences of workplace ill-treatment of academic staff in the Irish Higher Education sector, with a focus on organizational response to experienced or witnessed workplace bullying and/or incivility. Workplace bullying is a significant problem, affecting approximately 15% of the workforce, with considerable variation by sector. Educational workplaces typically display prevalence rates that exceed average workplace bullying rates. The negative impacts on health and well-being are well documented and evidence is also emerging to show that organizational responses are less than optimal. The data collected comprise 11 qualitative in-depth interviews with academic staff in three of Ireland's seven Universities. Applying a phenomenological analysis approach, data revealed that participants' experiences were overwhelmingly negative in respect of organizational response, despite the fact that each University had an anti-bullying policy. This is explored and discussed in the context of failure to address the complex power relations, which are particularly relevant in professional organizations, intensified by current changes in the higher educational sector. Study limitations include the small number of Universities and small sample size, thus limiting generalizability.

Teachers of English experience significant pressure in attempting to meet the requirements of the national examination system, while also seeking to uphold their own ideological and philosophical perspectives on the value of poetry. Drawing on a mixed method study into the teaching of poetry at post-primary level in Ireland conducted between 2007 and 2010, this paper examines current methodological trends in poetry pedagogy. The research identifies a marked imbalance in the prioritisation of pupil development, with many teachers privileging the cognitive development of pupils' poetic understanding over the affective. The paper also suggests limited attention to the interwoven dimensions of the affective and cognitive domains in the teaching of poetry at senior cycle level in Irish schools. This paper advocates the need to support teachers to develop an integrated pedagogy for teaching poetry in second-level schools, which engages both the critical and the creative in a meaningful manner. (Contains 1 table.)

The United National Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) emphasises the need for those with disabilities to be guaranteed full access to participation in society (United Nations, 2006). This rights-based approach in higher education foregrounds the importance of removing practical and attitudinal barriers within how institutions, or staff, interact with students with traumatic brain injury (TBI) that facilitate their access. This chapter summarises the key findings of my PhD thesis where I use my unique positioning as a TBI survivor and status as a PhD student to gain deeper understanding of the experience of access for neurodiverse students in higher education. I contend that we can be marginalised in these settings. In this chapter, I argue for the importance of student voice in decision and policymaking processes in higher education, aligning with 'nothing about us, without us' (Charlton, 2000). A blended methodology of autoethnography and phenomenology was used in my scholarship, which meant listening to the perspectives of students with TBI who often navigate the educational environment differently. Loss, change of identity and care are significant factors in shaping experiences. This research has much to offer as it uses the researcher's and participant's voices to transform rather than maintain the status quo regarding access for students with TBI. Inclusive education must place flexibility and diversity at its core and consider the person when putting academic programmes and support in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Health and education are inextricably linked. Health promotion sits somewhat uncomfortably within schools, often remaining a marginal aspect of teachers' work. The purpose of this paper is to examine the compatibility of an HP-initiative with teacher professional identity. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative research design was adopted consisting of semi-structured interviews. In total, 49 teachers in two school districts in the Auvergne region in central France were interviewed in depth post having completed three years' involvement in a health promoting schools initiative called "Learning to Live Better Together" ("Apprendre a Mieux Vivre Ensemble"). Findings: Teachers in the study had a broad conceptualisation of their role in health promotion. In keeping with international trends, there was more success at classroom than at whole school level. While generally teachers can be reluctant to engage with health promotion, the teachers in this study identified having little difficulty in understanding their professional identity as health promoters and identified strong compatibility with the HP-initiative. Practical implications: Teachers generally viewed professional development in health promotion in a positive light when its underlying values were commensurate with their own and when the context was seen as compatible with the school mission. The promotion of health in schools needs to be sensitive to professional identity and be tailored specifically to blend more successfully with current teacher identity and practice. Originality/value: The promotion of health in schools needs to be sensitive to professional identity and be tailored specifically to blend more successfully with current teacher identity and practice.

The incorporation of self- and peer-assessment and feedback has significant potential as a pedagogical strategy to promote deep learning in project based coursework. This study examined the impact of a deeper approach to learning on pre-service teachers' critical thinking and metacognitive skills. It also examined the impact on student learning outcomes within a project based module with a significant design element. Forty-seven students participated in the pilot of an online peer feedback system. Results suggest that the quality of students' reflections through peer feedback and overall satisfaction with the module remained high despite students' citing a preference for instructor feedback. The data also indicate that the incorporation of self- and peer-assessment and feedback resulted in higher quality learning outcomes and enhanced critical thinking skills. (Contains 3 tables.)

This article aims to address the lack of attention given to respect as an important relational construct for pre-service teachers. It seeks to inform teacher educators on how to better understand its practice and the implications for teaching and learning. This study examined second level pre-service teachers' perceptions and experiences of respect. A qualitative design was employed and 12 undergraduate pre-service teachers in their final year of study were interviewed twice (pre and post practicum) about their perceptions of respect and their experiences of respectful teaching and learning. The emerging data indicate that the relational component of respect was identified by the pre-service teacher participants as being important to feeling respected as a teacher. Recommendations are made, in light of these findings, to help teacher educators support pre-service teachers gain a greater understanding of the relational nature of respect. (Contains 1 table.)

Understanding the contribution of the whole-school staff to health education (HE) is an important goal in HE research. This study aimed to identify the views of staff (principals; teachers; school nurses and doctors; counsellors and administrative, maintenance, canteen and cleaning staff) regarding the nature of their contribution to HE. The research is based on 207 semi-structured interviews of staff in a sample of five French middle schools (grade 6-9). Content analysis was performed using Bardin's method. The results showed that staff members have different views of their role, three main roles were identified: (i) as an educator in everyday life issues (72%); (ii) individual support, listening (14%) and (iii) taking part in collective projects and facilitation (14%). Professional status has a significant influence on the view they have of their contribution to HE. These results show that in order to facilitate consistent implementation of HE, schools need to be supported to build HE policy (need analysis, definition of priorities and partnerships) and also to develop the means by which an inclusive and real sharing of common culture among all staff can happen; this is not limited to teaching staff but includes non-teaching staff also. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

Students with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are often marginalized in terms of participation in higher education because of an implicit association of TBI with less academic functioning. The first named author is a Ph.D. scholar who aimed to add her voice to the voices of others and examine the lived experience of students with the same condition to identify possible supports that would enhance inclusion in higher education. This research was driven by the desire to illuminate both the hidden nuances of personal experience (hence the use of autoethnography) and to highlight the lack of research about educational participation of TBI survivors. The analysis was from both professional and personal perspectives. Through an examination via an iterative and interconnected research process, the authors explored the question, what are the supports for participation and access for students with TBI in higher education considering the first author's experiences. Traditional research might provide generalizable data but may not facilitate deep illumination of experience and voice. This examination transcended traditional research and comprised autoethnographic and interview-based inquiry. It challenged the research team to consider different perspectives and to interrogate their own interconnections in the same engagement while working towards the same goal. The concept of transmethodology will be discussed regarding the development of multiple perspectives that can assist in transgressing the common divisions in the theory and practice divide and explores knowledge of marginalization regarding participation for students with TBI. This paper argues for the importance of innovations such as transmethodology when researching deeply personal phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose |!|#8211; National policy in Ireland states that all teachers are teachers of Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE). However national evaluations identify that all teachers do not subscribe to this view. This research aimed to examine the experiences and attitudes of undergraduate students towards teaching SPHE. Design/methodology/approach |!|#8211; An on-line questionnaire including closed and open questions was distributed to all undergraduate post primary teacher education students (N=1105) in the University of Limerick which is the largest provider of teacher education in Ireland. None of the respondents had exposure to third level education in SPHE or more generally in health education. Findings |!|#8211; A response rate of 44.7 per cent was achieved (N=494). Only 24.5 per cent indicated that they plan to teach SPHE on graduation. There were significant gender differences in relation to students|!|#39; intention to teach SPHE on graduation. Incentives to teach were less altruistic for males (money and job security) than females (personal interest in the subject). Research limitations/implications |!|#8211; The convenience sampling approach was useful in illuminating the attitudes of the undergraduate students sampled, however replication across teacher education programmes nationally is warranted. Inclusion of teacher educators|!|#39; perspectives would also be valuable. Practical implications |!|#8211; There is a clear need for health promotion to be placed on the pre-service teacher education curriculum. In addition, it is necessary to take into account pre-service teacher attitude towards SPHE and gender differences in the design of the post primary teacher education curriculum. Originality/value |!|#8211; This paper offers insight into how pre-service teachers perceive their role in SPHE. It illuminates some challenges facing teacher educators in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze public health nurses' perceptions of empowerment and advocacy within a child health screening and surveillance program in West Ireland., Design and Sample: This study combined both qualitative and quantitative research methods. A purposive sample of 9 public health nurses (PHNs) (phase 1) participated in 2 focus groups and a purposive sample of 43 clients attending the child health screening service completed a questionnaire (phase 2)., Measures: Focus groups and Questionnaires were used., Results: Thematic content analysis revealed that PHNs in the study did not perceive themselves to be empowered in their work. They attributed this to workload, lack of professional advocacy, and restricted access to power and opportunity, while also identifying the need for continued managerial support and feedback., Conclusions: The results suggest that PHNs need to be empowered in order to facilitate client empowerment. PHNs struggled with empowerment and client advocacy. There is a need for professional development for PHNs in order to support them to more critically engage with empowerment and self-efficacy in their work. This needs to be done within organizational structures that support PHNs to critically analyze the role of advocacy and empowerment in their practice., (© 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)