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This study explores the factors associated with observed changes in transportation mode shares over the period from 2012 to 2017 (corresponding with the period between the two most recent household travel surveys conducted in California). In contrast with the goals of the California Department of Transportation and the State Transportation agency, walking, biking, and using transit all decreased during this period, and driving and the use of personal vehicles increased. There are a number of factors typically associated with transportation mode choices, including socio-demographics, attitudes, life stages, land use and infrastructure availability. Further, large scale events may also have an effect on travel trends; for example, the Great Recessionmay have impacted individuals’ ability to own a personal vehicle and therefore increased the use of alternative means of transportation during the years leading up to our survey period. Similarly, the 2013 passage of legislation allowing for non-citizens to obtain a driver’s license in the state of California, may have impacted mode shares over the study period. This paper compares these and other factors impacting mode shares in 2012 and in 2017 to answer part of the question about why we see this decrease in the use of active modes over this period and what types of planning, programs, and policy actions may help to reverse this trend and get California back on track to increase walking, biking and the use of public transit.View the NCST Project Webpage

This study explores interest in, and the challenges faced by transit agencies and operators in the adoption of open-loop payment systems. The research team focuses on the ways that agencies view passenger needs in the context of adopting open payments. Challenges with cash payments, an increasingly cashless society, and the expanding offerings of digital payment options have spurred increased interest in open-loop payments among transit operators. Paying for transit with cash can require additional time at boarding, add extra steps for passengers who must pay with exact fare, and result in service inefficiencies. It presents security concerns for drivers, and administrative burdens for agencies. While the full costs of cash handling vary per agency, the cost of handling and moving cash may be considerable. Pioneering transit agencies are adopting open payment systems that accept credit cards, debit cards, and smartphone/watch-based transactions. However, there is a huge diversity among transit agencies and as such, agencies face different challenges and to different degrees when considering the adoption of open payment systems. Challenges can include financial barriers, capacity limitations, technological challenges, the duration of existing contracts, competing needs, and a number of passenger challenges such as lack of credit cards or smartphones, or lack of familiarity with the technology. This study uses data collected from California transit agencies in the fall of 2022 that gathered information about agency perceptions of open-loop payments and the challenges with adopting open fare collection systems, and whether assistance programs would benefit transit agencies interested in adopting open-loop payments. Results of the present study indicate that the majority of agencies are considering or have considered implementing open payment systems, but agencies are not fully aware of the assistance available from the California Integrated Travel Program to help in the transition to digital and open payment systems. This study sheds light on the challenges facing small to medium transit agencies in the transition of California’s transit systems to open-loop payment systems.View the NCST Project Webpage

Microtransit is an emerging, technology-enabled, on-demand transportation mode whereby small shuttles provide shared rides through flexible routing and scheduling in response to customers’ requests for rides. Given its potential to address the equity and accessibility needs of the public, public transportation agencies are experimenting with this service to fill gaps in traditional transportation in the US. However, why some people are interested in microtransit while others are not remains an open question. For people who have never used it, what factors could work as facilitators or barriers in their willingness to adopt microtransit? Who are the early adopters of microtransit? Guided by the theory of planned behavior, this study aims to fill the gap in knowledge by conducting a large-scale survey of microtransit adopters and users of other means of transportation in the Sacramento area of California in 2021. This study focuses on the microtransit service SmaRT Ride (SR), operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT). Focus groups and interviews were conducted before the largescale online survey to gather preliminary information, help develop survey questions, and improve understanding of research findings, given the novelty of microtransit. Discrete choice models, including binary logit and ordered logit models and latent class analysis, were employed to explore barriers to and facilitators of SR adoption, willingness to use it, and underlying subgroups of early adopters. Important findings include that people who like fixed-route transit are less likely to adopt microtransit. Social support plays an important role in explaining the willingness to use microtransit. The analysis reveals three salient classes of microtransit users: travel time savers with environmental awareness, riders with a neutral mindset, and pro-SR and travel cost savers.View the NCST Project Webpage

Transit agencies are looking for ways to save costs and improve transit rider experiences. One strategy to accomplish this is to replace legacy payment systems that accept cash and in-network agency-issued tickets or cards with fully digital open-loop payments systems, which accept all debit, credit, and mobile payments and are more readily interoperable between different transit agencies and shared mobility operators. This transition will not come without confronting a number of equity and logistical challenges to ensure all riders benefit from this transition. The state of California’s California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP) aims to help transit agencies make this digital payment transition. Researchers at UC Davis partnered with Cal-ITP to explore this question: how can California transit agencies modernize fare payment while ensuring transit systems are open and accessible to un-and underbanked riders? Researchers collected 200+ intercept surveys in the Davis-Sacramento-Woodland area of California to assess the potential for un-and underbanked passengers to use digital payment tools, such as contactless cards, and smartphone-based apps. This research finds that among unbanked riders who typically pay with cash, more than half of respondents would be open to paying with a prepaid debit card or a prepaid government-issued debit card, and about a third are open to paying with a mobile phone.View the NCST Project Webpage

The more than 350 transit agencies in California currently offer a patchwork of payment options, including cash, contactless payments, and a multitude of agency-issued cards. This inconsistency across transit operators acts as a barrier to the use of public transit. The California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP) was established in 2018 to create an integrated, statewide payment system to make travel simpler and more cost-effective. Cal-ITP is pursuing open-loop payment systems, which offer a suite of digital payment options such as credit and debit cards, prepaid debit cards, app-based wallet systems, and peer- to-peer payment apps.However, questions remain about whether open-loop payment systems would accommodate all travelers, particularly those who are unbanked (i.e., do not have a bank account) or underbanked (i.e., have only a savings or checking account, but not both) and typically rely on cash. Researchers at the University of California, Davis partnered with Cal-ITP to study how transit fare payments could be modernized while remaining accessible to unbanked and underbanked riders. This policy brief summarizes the findings from that research and provides policy implications.View the NCST Project Webpage

The California Department of Transportation set a goal of doubling walking and transit use and tripling bicycling in the state between 2010 and 2020. However, the most recent comprehensive travel surveys, the 2012 California Household Travel Survey (CHTS) and the California results from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), suggest that the state is moving in the wrong direction. These surveys seemed to show that a smaller share of trips were made by walking or biking in 2017 than in 2012, while private vehicle mode share increased. It is unclear whether the decline represents real changes stemming from various demographic or other factors or is instead related to methodological differences between the two surveys. Researchers at the University of California, Davis used the publicly available 2012 CHTS and 2017 NHTS California add-on data to examine the impact of methodological differences on the changes in mode shares over this five-year period and conducted a preliminary investigation into the role of demographic and other factors in these changes. This policy brief summarizes the findings from that research and provides policy implications.View the NCST Project Webpage

This study evaluates changes in travel mode shares in California over the period from 2012, when the California Household Travel Survey (CHTS) was most recently completed, to 2017, the most recent implementation of National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). Initial review of the data suggests decreases in biking and walking over this time period. This study explores the factors contributing to this change, namely are these apparent changes the artifact of methodological differences between the analysis of the two surveys, or do they reflect real changes in the travel behavior of Californians? The piece also explores external factors, or changes over time that may contribute to mode share changes, such as demographic shifts or system-wide shocks such as the Great Recession. There are many differences in the preparation of the data used in the analysis across the two surveys; for example, the variables included in weighting are not the same for the CHTS and the NHTS. These differences are not found to have an impact on the outcomes of interest; however, they do suggest the need for more coordination among the NHTS and the CHTS to better enable comparative studies.View the NCST Project Webpage

There is much uncertainty over whether on-demand ridehailing services, namely Uber and Lyft, will worsen or alleviate existing transportation problems such as congestion, emissions, and inequities in access and mobility. For policymakers, transportation planners, and others in the transportation arena, these unknowns have created uncertainty over which policies would best steer ridehailing toward equitable and sustainable outcomes. To address these uncertainties, researchers at UC Davis assessed how stakeholders from different groups view the possible impacts of ridehailing and the policies that might best address those impacts. The researchers evaluated these questions through in-depth interviews with stakeholders from 38 agencies and organizations throughout California. Interviewees included transportation planners, members of state agencies, and representatives from non-profit organizations and the ridehailing industry. This policy brief summarizes those interviews, as well as findings from the research.View the NCST Project Webpage

Enquiry-based learning (EBL) in primary schools is a constructivist approach which has a strong focus on children asking questions, working together, selecting and interpreting sources, on collecting information, and on interpreting and analysing what is found. This paper reports the results of questionnaire surveys and focus group interviews carried out with a sample of primary teacher education students at three teacher education institutions in Ireland, north and south, with the aim of uncovering the students' experiences of EBL in their own education and during their school placements so far, as well as discovering their understanding of what EBL is and their opinions about EBL as an educational approach. Results revealed that the students' recollections of EBL were mixed. During college school experience blocks the students displayed a clear understanding that it was the element of pupils being pro-active which was most indicative of EBL work. They recognise the importance of EBL at primary level. While being realistic about the challenges involving both practical implementation and time issues which EBL work produced, they appear not to have been put off from using EBL approaches in their future teaching careers.

The Davis Amtrak station, a stop on the regional Capital Corridor line has the third highest passenger usage along the Capitol Corridor and up until early 2020, ridership was increasing. However, the station’s parking lot fills up before 6am on weekday mornings and this poses an access challenge to passengers. City of Davis Transportation staff have planned shared-use mobility programs as a cost-effective solution to make commuting by train easier, more productive, affordable, and travel-time competitive. This research brief summarizes findings from a University of California, Davis study, the objective of which was to inform and evaluate the City’s planned programs.

This study investigates barriers to accessing the Davis Amtrak Station to inform a program designed to increase access to the station with on-demand alternatives. The program aims to decrease private vehicle use to access the station and for travel to locations outside of Davis through partnerships with a carpool/rideshare app, as well as a ridehail app. Motivations for the program stem from the high passenger usage at the Davis station that may be impacted by parking capacity and other challenges. The city has limited interest in or ability to add new parking capacity, however pricing will be introduced to the lot in the future. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City has not yet set a launch date for the program. This report evaluates the potential for the program using survey data collected from Davis residents about their travel expectations once COVID-19 is no longer a threat. The results of this study provide insights into residents’ interest in the planned pilot programs. Residents are most likely to use a free ridehail program to travel to the train station, while some are also likely to use a carpool/rideshare program and/or a free shuttle to downtown. Those with higher perceived risks associated with riding the train during COVID-19 are less likely to use these programs. City planners are already considering these issues, and these results underscore the importance of these issues in the final design and outreach for this pilot program.

Ridehail services such as Uber and Lyft present new, flexible travel options. Integrating these services with existing public transit could reduce costs, facilitate more transit use, and improve access. To realize these benefits, a growing number of transit agencies are exploring partnerships with ridehail and other shared-use mobility companies, such as bikesharing and carsharing services. Under such partnerships transit agencies typically subsidize shareduse mobility services for passengers connecting to transit stations or traveling when transit service is limited or unavailable. If successful, these partnerships could serve as part of a new model of environmentally sustainable, costeffective, and equitable public transportation. However, only a few jurisdictions have implemented successful partnerships. Transit agencies that have not pursued these partnerships have expressed concerns about cost, liability, regulatory issues, and data sharing. Little is known about what prompts some transit providers to pursue these partnerships while others do not. Researchers at UC Davis surveyed 37 transit agencies and interviewed seven transit agency professionals over two years to better understand why transit agencies pursue shared-use mobility partnerships, the factors that influence partnership formation, and barriers that prevent or slow the formation of partnerships.

In response to the increasing presence of ridehail services, namely Uber and Lyft, a growing number of transit agencies have formed partnerships with these and other shared-use mobility companies to offer programs that integrate these services with traditional transit. The programs often start as pilots and typically involve subsidizing ridehail travel for passengers connecting to public transit routes or travelling at times that public transit offers limited or no service (such as late at night). However, the number of transit agencies forming these partnerships is still small, and transit agencies note concerns over liability and costs, as well as the ability to meet federal standards, and many worry partnerships may not be a good use of public resources. Transit agencies face a number of service challenges, and partnering with ridehail companies likely offers a piece of the puzzle to improving public transit. Future work should expand on this study and focus on the question of long-term funding. Even those partnerships that have had some apparent success may not have fail-safe funds to keep these partnerships, and other new models of service such as connecting with bikeshare or other on-demand services.

This study investigates how stakeholders throughout California view the potential impacts of ridehailing services, such as Uber or Lyft, on transportation systems, and how to address such impacts. The stakeholders surveyed included city planning agencies, regional transportation planning agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, state agencies, ridehailing service providers, interest groups, and non-profits. Ridehailing is one of several emerging shared use mobility alternatives, poised to impact transportation systems, for better or worse. For better, if these new services catalyze the development and maturation of well-integrated multi-model transportation systems that serve all travelers and reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and transportation emissions. For worse, if these new services serve merely as a less expensive taxi, allowing more people to forego alternative modes of transportation like public transit and biking, thereby leading to increases in VMT, emissions, and congestion. The high degree of uncertainty surrounding the impacts of these services presents challenges to stakeholders involved in transportation planning and policy making. Through interviews, the researchers investigated the viewpoints of 42 transportation stakeholders throughout the state of California. They find that the diversity of interviewees is reflected in the sentiments they have about ridehailing, what issues are important and potential obstacles to achieving positive outcomes. Nonetheless, interviewees agree that regulations should balance local control with state level guidance.View the NCST Project Webpage

In early 2016 the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority implemented a pilot program in partnership with Uber and United Taxi (a local company) to provide subsidized travel for trips to and from specified public transportation stops (Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority). Since that time, similar pilots have sprung up throughout the US. Presumably, the proliferation of these pilots is due to early successes; likely measured by cost savings, increased ridership, expanded service areas, improved first/last mile connections, and increased visibility of ridehailing services. We would expect the outcomes of these pilots to be shared among public transportation operators, resulting in improvements as they are implemented in new locations over time. However, much of the information that might be used to evaluate these programs is confidential or proprietary, creating challenges for public transportation operators to discuss details with others. This project aims to identify the factors informing the implementation of these pilots and the pathways by which relevant information is shared among public transportation operators. Key questions are: Do transit agencies gather information independently; from one another, academic sources, or policy experts, or others? Are transit agencies primarily informed by potential ridehailing industry partners as they consider these partnerships and programs? And how do these different pathways impact the partnerships transit agencies form with ridehailing companies and the programs they launch?

This study investigates barriers to accessing the Davis Amtrak Station and will inform a pilot program to increase access to the station with on-demand alternatives. The program aims to decrease private vehicle use to access the station and for travel to locations outside of Davis. Currently, the Davis station has the third highest passenger usage along the Capitol Corridor and ridership is increasing, but potential ridership is limited by parking availability. The city has limited interest in or ability to add new parking capacity, however pricing will be introduced to the lot in the future. In addition, the city will introduce a pilot program to support the use of on-demand alternatives and other modes to access the Davis station. The goal of this phase of the study was to develop surveys for Davis residents and current Capital Corridor riders that will assess barriers to use of the station. Such factors likely include limited vehicle and bicycle parking, limited local bus service hours, last mile challenges at the other end of the trip, and the convenience of driving for regional travel. The results of this survey will offer insights into the key factors influencing the use of the Capitol Corridor regional rail, and the importance of station access among those factors. Further, this phase of the study will inform the development and implementation of the city’s pilot program.

The motivations for this study stem from an uncertainty about whether on-demand ridehailing services such as Uber, Lyft and others, will exacerbate existing transportation issues, or help alleviate them. To that end, the goals of the project were to learn about the perspectives of stakeholders from a variety of sectors, on their reactions to policies and other actions that might enable on-demand services to help alleviate existing transportation issues including congestion, emissions and inequality of access and mobility.This study aims to address the following three questions: How well do stakeholders in different sectors and regions, agree about the potential outcomes related to on-demand ridehailing and sustainable transportation goals? What are stakeholder perspectives on the policies and strategies that might facilitate emerging on-demand transportation services to most effectively enhance sustainability and mobility outcomes? What decision making venues and approaches are supported by different stakeholders in the process, and how can these approaches be pursued in order to realize policy goals related to sustainability of on-demand ridehailing? I.e., what venues, and at what level can most effective policies be introduced to facilitate sustainability improvements in transportation by embracing on-demand ridehailing services.To answer these questions, a series of interviews were completed with stakeholders from California Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and Regional Transportation Planning Agencies (RTPAs), from state agencies, the ridehailing industry, and local planning agencies or transportation divisions of cities. The results of this study indicate that policy makers must consider the varied systems and contexts throughout the state; and likely throughout the US. Further, there is an existing dialogue on these topics among transportation professionals, public interest groups, academics and policy makers. In this study, the researchers took a systematic approach to documenting this dialogue and identifying meaningful messages and policy guidance that is not possible without a rigorous scientific approach.View the NCST Project Webpage

16. AbstractThere is very little research on the unmet needs of and transportation alternatives for low-income households in California. A survey of low-income residents at affordable housing complexes in the San Joaquin Valley of California was conducted to explore unmet transportation needs, willingness to use shared mobility services, and the potential to reduce household vehicles and parking spaces. The survey also examined awareness of public financial incentive programs aimed at reducing vehicle emissions in the Valley. The analysis of the survey results suggests the following conclusions: survey respondents successfully marshal their limited transportation resources to travel to activities that are essential to the current or future economic wellbeing of their households; respondents indicate a strong willingness to use ridesourcing and carsharing services located at their affordable housing complex; analysis of the use of respondents’ current vehicles and stated willingness to use ridesourcing and carsharing services suggests some potential to reduce parking in the affordable housing complexes; barriers to paying for carsharing and ridesourcing services include lack of credit cards and bank accounts; carsharing and ridesharing programs in these communities should include a call center with staff who speaks both English and Spanish; and survey respondents lack knowledge about public incentive programs that seek to reduce vehicle emissions in the San Joaquin Valley.

In the Republic of Ireland, geography is recognized as an important subject for children to learn and all pupils take it throughout their primary school years. The current curriculum, the Primary School Curriculum-Geography, follows a tradition of innovative, child-centered geography curricula in Ireland. This article outlines the history of geography as a primary school subject in the Republic of Ireland to put current practices in schools into their historical context. It draws on all available research, curricula, reports and resources in primary geography to consider a variety of issues, including national policies and funding for primary geography as well those relating to teaching and learning in schools. Finally possible futures for primary geography in primary schools are considered.

This paper presents findings from a research project that investigated the aspects of inquiry-based learning (IBL), specifically experiences of teacher inquiry, within initial teacher education (ITE) programmes. The participants in the project were four teacher educators and 127 student teachers with the teacher educators being the research team. The inspiration for the research was an interest in features of IBL in ITE. Firstly, opportunities for teacher inquiry, conceptualised by the team as 'intrinsic inquiry', where student teachers carried out inquiries as reflections on their practice. Secondly, student teachers experiencing, planning and reflecting on classroom inquiry, conceptualised as 'modelled inquiry'. We hoped our research would be informative for colleagues in ITE, as we knew from experience in ITE that providing opportunities for inquiry meant reflection, and acting on reflection was more likely to occur. Findings revealed many 'multiplicities of inquiry' between intrinsic and modelled enquiry, which participants had a range of views of. This paper focuses primarily on the aspects of intrinsic inquiry in teacher education, which included teacher inquiry and many other types of aspects of inquiry as outlined. However, throughout the findings reported students refer to both intrinsic and modelled inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in travel behavior of regular commuters during the temporary closure of Interstate 5 in downtown Sacramento, California were investigated by analyzing “temporary” vs. “longer-term” changes in the frequency of drive-alone commuting. A similar proportion of the sample increased driving alone (23%) as decreased (22%). Those who increased driving alone were substantially more likely to make this change a regular, longer-term, behavior (83%) compared to those who decreased (52%), increasing emissions. About 61% of the sample did not change their driving alone in either direction. Numerous variables are considered to be potentially important predictors of changes, including socio-demographic traits, environmental and travel attitudes, and land use characteristics. The influence of the freeway closure is also explored. Discrete choice models of the changes are estimated, and characteristics associated with making positive or negative, temporary or longer-term changes are identified. Important land use characteristics include access to amenities such as grocery stores and schools in the vicinity of home and work locations. Additional characteristics that are important factors in the changes modeled include the background commute patterns, occupation types and attitudes towards transportation and travel.

Geography is a subject in the Primary Curriculum in Ireland. It is taught in all schools with some examples of engaging and challenging practices, characterised by enquiry-based learning (EBL) of a range of content, with learning occurring inside and out. In other settings, Geography is more limited in scope and children's geographical experiences in school are minimal. There is a myriad of reasons for this range of practice. One significant feature is the lack of funding or provision for continuing professional development (CPD) for primary teachers in Geography. This paper outlines a project to create school-based CPD for teachers in primary geography. The results of the project are that the school-based CPD, designed by teachers can provide support them to enact the curriculum as well as providing engaging, interesting and enjoyable experiences for teachers. The findings also suggest that such CPD can also have a positive impact on children's experiences of Geography, through enhanced practices by teachers. The implications for such findings are discussed in relation to curriculum change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching education is Ireland is currently undergoing significant structural and conceptual changes. School placement is at the centre of these reforms. This article reports the findings of an all-Ireland study which investigates student teachers' experiences of teaching geography during their school placements. Based on data collected from surveys and focus group interviews with one cohort of B.Ed. students, this study illustrates the emotional journey of school placement, emerging identities as teacher, the positive impact of initial teacher education, the problematic nature of messages from "third parties" and conflicting conceptualisations of geography. The findings of this study are important for student teachers and teacher educators as they illustrate the complexity of school placement and the importance of emotional as well as cognitive engagement.

Primary geography education is an important part of initial teacher education. The importance of prior experiences in the development of student teachers has long been recognised and there is growing evidence of the nature of those experiences in areas such as geography. This paper reports the findings of research conducted with one cohort of undergraduate primary student teachers in every college of education in Ireland. The research explores the prior experiences of student teachers as learners of geography and their perceptions of the subject. While there were differences between student teachers from the Republic of Ireland and from Northern Ireland, attitudes towards geography were predominantly positive. Positive experiences focused on interesting and enthusiastic teachers and active and participatory learning approaches. Negative experiences of geography centred on the dominance of textbook-based teaching and the requirement to memorise content. The article argues that by providing positive and negative images of practice in the teaching of geography, students' prior experiences can prompt insight into practices that promote deep learning, facilitate the integration of the personal and the professional dimensions of teaching and provide a starting point for the development of a vocabulary of critique and evaluation.

This paper reports on the findings of a research project investigating children's experiences of their local environments. Children's experiences of spaces and places and the interaction of such experiences and their learning were investigated, using mixed research methods, informed by phenomenological and participatory methodologies. Through these activities including discussion, interviews and drawing, children described how they experienced affordances of spaces, places and people in a range of ways. The children also revealed varied and dynamic attitudes to their local environments. Children's use and opinions of the environment were influenced by temporal, physical, social and economic factors. As well as expressing that such local experiences enhanced their current lives, the children also described how experiences in their local environment contributed to the different areas of their development, including their learning. For most children, such experiences emanated from outside school, with learning in geography in school more likely to be about places farther from home. These findings suggest that attempts to make children's geographies in their local environments central to primary geography through content and activities like many of those outlined in the Primary School Curriculum would be successful. The children's views also suggest that the contributions of all children could be used in decision-making beyond schools. Such consideration and development of children's geographies has the potential to contribute to children's lives as active citizens, currently and in the future. (Contains 12 tables and 4 figures.)

Research into student teachers' perceptions, attitudes and prior experiences of learning suggests that these experiences can exert an influence on practice which can be relatively undisturbed by their initial teacher education. This article is based on the initial findings of an all-Ireland survey of all first-year students on B.Ed. courses in colleges in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland. The survey is the first stage in a longitudinal study which will follow the same cohort of students for the duration of their initial teacher education, seeking to map and track the development of their ideas about teaching and learning in primary history, geography and science. Based on an analysis of the quantitative data in the entry questionnaire, the initial findings suggest that subject knowledge remains a problematic issue in initial teacher education and that both location and gender interact with knowledge, attitudes and subject area to produce a complex and challenging context for teacher educators in history, geography and science education. (Contains 5 tables, 2 figures, and 6 notes.)

Ideas relating to identity and belonging are central to the public discourse around citizenship that has emerged in Ireland and internationally in recent years. One thread of that discourse relates to the role of national identity in societies that are increasingly diverse and multicultural. In view of the growing importance of citizenship education, understanding children's ideas about national identity is vital if educators are to engage children in the construction of an hospitable, critical and reflective citizenry. This research was undertaken in two phases during 2003 and 2004. Participating in the study were 119 children, drawn from a range of social contexts. Premised on a social constructivist view of children and childhood, the research drew on participative and democratic methodologies. While the study suggests the existence of an essentialist conception of Irish identity, it also demonstrates the capacity and willingness of children to engage in critical reflection on their constructions of Irishness. (Contains 4 images and 9 notes.)

This research reviews a sample of fifth-class children's definitions of geography. It was carried out after the publication of the Revised Primary School Curriculum (1999) but before any staff development had taken place for the implementation of this curriculum. Since the data was collected, staff development for the 1999 curriculum in geography has been timetabled for the 2005-2006 school year. The data collected revealed most children had a clear idea what geography was, with the majority of children (97.3%) referring to one or more aspects of geography. Over half the children defined geography as being about themes and places. A clear emphasis on the learning of place names and fact learning came through in definitions. There were limited references to learning key ideas or concepts. Skills, with the exception of "maps", were mentioned by few children. No child mentioned fieldwork. The definitions written by the children tended to reflect geography topics they had covered in school textbooks. The findings suggest areas of the 1999 curriculum that will be new to teachers and children and point to the challenges for the implementation of the curriculum. (Contains 10 tables and 1 figure.)

The Revised Primary School Curriculum, if implemented, will change the nature of teaching and learning about countries in primary classrooms in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). This research aims to listen to children's voices about distant countries in order to reflect on their experiences and ideas on learning about distant places. (Contains 4 tables.)