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Academic Self-Efficacy, (ASE), is an internal estimation of the extent to which an individual believes how well they will be able to perform academic tasks. ASE has been positively linked in the literature to academic performance and has been the subject of study for several decades. The aim of the study was to investigate academic self-efficacy, (ASE), in undergraduate nursing students from all fields of practice of nursing and across all three years of a nursing preparation programme in Northern Ireland with a view to ascertaining how confident they were academically and to identify areas of confidence and/or under-confidence. A cross-sectional design was employed using an online self-report questionnaire; the Academic Capacity Scale for Nursing 25, (ACSN25). Exploratory factor analysis was used to excavate and expose the underlying structure of the collected data. One hundred and eight completed responses were recorded, (n = 108) across years one, two and three, from adult, mental health, and children's nursing. Respondents were academically confident with a mean ASE score of 69.70, (confident). They reported the highest mean ASE score when it came to meeting assignment deadlines, (87.9, extremely confident), and the lowest mean ASE score related to asking questions in lectures, (45, not confident) respectively. Mature students were more confident than non-mature ones. Exploratory factor analysis produced a five-factor model that contained the constructs; confidence in intellectual skills, independent study skills, interacting with faculty, information processing and lecture theatre behaviour. Undergraduate student nurses in all fields of practice and across all years of their course appeared to be confident about their academic ability. The sample expressed confidence in their ASE in most items except those relating to lecture theatre behaviour, where the average score fell below 50%. The items that scored highest pertained to behaviours that took place in small group environments. The findings suggested that group size was an important factor to consider in student engagement to enhance ASE. Factor analysis revealed a five-factor model that demonstrated the importance of self-regulated study skills and communication skills.

The importance of wellbeing to student life is widely recognised. With a greater focus on young persons' wellbeing in Ireland (DES, 2018) and given the significant reform in lower secondary, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) introduced a universal social and emotional learning intervention in 2017 (NCCA, 2017) aimed at supporting the promotion of student wellbeing (SW). While there is a wide range of studies addressing SW, the experiences, perspectives, and understandings of SW in the newly introduced Junior Cycle (JC) and the Irish context in general have not been researched extensively to date. This study seeks to explore students' perceptions and experiences of wellbeing in the first year of JC and how they perceive school supports their wellbeing during transition. The perceptions that are held by teachers regarding the JC Wellbeing Programme, and their experiences supporting SW in first year is explored. It is in this context that this study advances work on SW at the beginning of significant reform around SW in Irish schools, adding to the literature on students' experiences of wellbeing, and the perceptions and experiences of teachers supporting SW in Ireland. This qualitative research uses a case-study methodology to explore students and teachers' perceptions of wellbeing in one large post-primary school using two main methods of data collection namely Photovoice and Interview. First-year students' perspectives and experiences of wellbeing was explored using photos and narratives from 43 student volunteers and nine members of staff who have a role in supporting student wellbeing in first year were interviewed. The data was analysed using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006). The participative study design aimed to strengthen student voice and agency during the process of participation in the research, with the Children's Research Advisory Group (CRAG) involved in each step of the research process to presenting the findings, informing their own school-improvement plan and wellbeing programme. This research demonstrates the significant and rich insight young people can provide when given voice. They highlight the impact relationships and connectedness have on SW and suggest areas for development that reflect SW's multifaceted complexity. The research concludes with recommendations and proposes a useful approach that could assist schools in amplifying student voice, engendering greater agency, and contributing to decision making for an improved school environment through implementing the photovoice data-gathering method.

Social networks are ubiquitous in the lives of adolescents. The thesis aimed to investigate the relationship between social networks (both offline and online) and adolescent subjective wellbeing. This was done in three ways: - firstly, a systematic literature review was conducted to examine the current literature exploring the association between subjective wellbeing and adolescent social networks. Secondly, a quantitative analysis using secondary data was undertaken to investigate the relationship between friendship networks, social media use and the subjective wellbeing of 13-year-old pupils in 77 post primary schools in Northern Ireland. Finally, the thesis conducted focus groups with pupils, teachers, and parents in three post-primary schools in Northern Ireland. The focus groups explored the impact that using social media can have on adolescent subjective wellbeing and how the use of social media is being addressed at home and at school. Emerging themes found across all three studies were: - body image, self-esteem, mood (both positive and negative), and sociability. Themes found in both the systematic review and the focus groups were: - loneliness, feeling left out, comparison and high investment. Sleep was a theme that emerged from both the quantitative and the focus group study. There is a need for intervention programs and education for young people, educators, and parents to address the risks to subjective wellbeing brought about by online social networks.

Early intervention has been a recurrent theme in addressing educational underachievement for children who are at risk of experiencing multiple adversities and undesirable outcomes (Dawson, Dunn and Morgan, 2010). However, there has been some dispute regarding the definition of early intervention - as to whether it should be focused on early with regards to chronological age and/or early in relation to the onset of adversities (Dawson et al., 2010). Often service design draws upon the latter, using the Hardiker (1991) model as a framework to measure degrees of adversity. However, whilst there is certainly a need to intervene on experiences of adversity, the first three years of life involve a period of rapid neurological growth that significantly influences later outcomes and so intervening early by the definition of chronological age is also vital (Perry, 2014). More specifically, Mathers, Eisenstadt, Sylva, Soukakou and Ericka-Stevens (2014) report the period of development that occurs between 24 and 36 months is marked by significant advances in language, cognition and social collaboration, all of which are imperative to achieving positive outcomes throughout life. Despite this, McGuiness, Eakin and Connolly (2012) report a significant gap in policy and service provision for two-year-olds in Northern Ireland and Mathers et al., (2014) call for an increase in evidence relating to how services can best meet the unique needs of two-year-olds. Therefore, this study aimed to add to the critical discussions and evidence base on early intervention as a means of improving outcomes for children by considering the developmental needs of two-year-olds and the implications for service provision in Northern Ireland. A convergent parallel mixed methods design was employed to gain a breadth and depth of knowledge from a range of stakeholders including programme co-ordinators, practitioners and parents. The design of the research was holistic, in terms of combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, and pragmatic, in terms of the design giving considerable consideration to the needs and working conditions of the participants. The data collection methods included a systematic review, semi-structured interviews, practitioner surveys, the ages and stages questionnaire (ASQ) and in setting observation studies. Participants were recruited from three programmes, each targeting toddlers aged 24-36 months in a different environment, namely private day care, a pre-school setting and a community based early intervention service. Participants included the co-ordinator/s of each programme, practitioners who currently deliver the programme, toddlers attending the programmes and the parents of said toddlers. The research identified six key findings, namely the lack of uniformity and universality in service provision for two-year-olds, with no clear programme direction or curriculum in place; broad consensus that social, emotional, language and physical development should be prime target areas for this age group; some reluctance and/or anxiety about directly addressing two-year-olds’ cognitive development- possibly due to discomfort with ideas of school readiness, eluding to the ongoing educare debate and lack of clarity on childcare versus early education versus early intervention; the lack of universality in service purpose and design results in some difficulties in designing an appropriate group environment for two-year-olds; the role of parents in service provision for toddlers was also problematic, being viewed as both essential and at times incompatible with service design (particularly in the case of private childcare services); and finally services for two-year-olds are being delivered by a largely under-professionalised workforce- where practitioners pay, qualifications and working conditions do not reflect the reported significance of the age group they are working with. The findings of this study may support the design and delivery of current services for this age group, enabling them to adapt their environment and programme design to best meet the needs of two-year-olds. However, the findings reveal larger issues, particularly the fragmented and under-funded landscape of services for toddlers. Therefore, it is recommended that this is addressed as a matter of priority and that appropriate policy guidance and practitioner training is developed to support the developmental needs of two-year-olds in Northern Ireland.

Current educational policies based upon accountability measures and evaluation practices have been given considerable attention throughout the education system. The two-sided approach is to ensure and enhance educational quality with an increased emphasis on school improvement. The aim of this study was to find out if a coeducational secondary school is meeting the requirements as detailed within the school improvement agenda. The motivation for the study was to investigate if student performance data would provide a model of progress for school improvement. It focused on student outcomes at the end of five years of their secondary education. The data was also used to evaluate the impact of a critical incident when the school was placed in the Formal Intervention Process following a school inspection. The research design is that of a quantitative study which guided the procedure for data analysis. The nature and structure of the data enabled two approaches to be undertaken to judge if improvement in standards had occurred over the five years. The first approach examined data of students within year-groups. It was an important indicator of the impact that the inspection had on teaching and learning and reflected on the work required when the school was placed in the Formal Intervention Process. For the second approach the data was partitioned into pre- and post- the intervention measures to find if there was improvement after planned actions were introduced. The numerical analysis used multiple regression and multi-level modelling software. The hierarchical data structure enabled the construct of multi-level models which partition variance in student outcomes to demonstrate if progress had been made at different levels. The data showed that there was a statistically significant effect on improvement in student attainment. It confirmed that the performance of individuals had a greater impact than their cohort which means that students take responsibility for their own learning and are not reliant on the characteristics of their year-group. The intervention measures which were embedded in a Theory of Change had a positive impact on student outcomes across the curriculum.

This study assessed the utility of Virtual Reality (VR) technology to challenge Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) in adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). IU has utility in explaining anxiety in neurotypical populations but research considering its presentation and effect on anxiety levels in ASD populations has only been given attention in recent years. The objective of this study was to provide practical mechanisms to alleviate anxiety associated with IU which could be utilised in educational settings, including those pertaining to Special Educational Needs (SEN), and more particularly ASD-support contexts. A specially tailored VR programme was designed to immerse ASD adolescents and a typically developing (TD) comparison group in a range of scenarios which had high levels of predictability and sameness. These scenes were subsequently disrupted through the introduction of ‘wrongality’ (i.e. things that go wrong during the virtual experience) in order to assess participants’ ability to deal with uncertainty. During the ‘wrongality’ stage, coping strategies were introduced with solution-based alternatives to empower children for similar challenges they could face in physical world situations. The benefit of running the programme in a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) offered the opportunity for tasks normally viewed as potentially stressful to be rehearsed in a safe and non-threatening space. Two post-primary schools with 21 adolescents aged between 11 – 14 years participated in the study. In order to monitor anxiety levels in terms of coping with IU and provide comparative data to investigate the efficacy of VR therapies for children on the autistic spectrum, 11 were typically developing children and 10 had a formal diagnosis of ASD. Data was recorded through a range of qualitative methods: questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, as well as detailed observations throughout the VR interventionist programme. Key findings arising from this study showed higher levels of anxiety related to coping with uncertainty amongst ASD participants compared to TD participants. In addition, the offer of compromise solutions in VR lowered anxiety levels as participants had the capacity to choose alternatives which led to a reported sense of self-empowerment. The use of avatars (or virtual ‘non-player characters’) supported the children throughout this process as they began to feel empowered to make their own choices, reinforcing the relevance of Vygotskian and Deweyian principles of learning within the twenty-first century context of Virtual Learning Environments. The virtual world was viewed as a calm, safe and comfortable space within which to practise unpredictable situations, and a strong belief in the utility of VR was shared across all participants in terms of its potential capacity to transfer skills learned in a virtual world environment to physical-world settings. These conclusions are summarised in the study’s ‘Drury Model’ which not only confirms Intolerance of Uncertainty as a relevant construct in ASD research but demonstrates the capacity of VR technology as an effective treatment tool with utility to alleviate anxieties related to IU.

In the mainland of the United Kingdom (UK), primary and post-primary attainment trends according to a pupil’s demographic profile and school level factors are well documented. However, when examining the Northern Ireland context, less is known due to the lack of available data for analysis. As Northern Ireland reflects a somewhat unique cultural, historical and political landscape, studies from the rest of the UK cannot be relied upon to fully understand the effects of socio-demographics and school factors on attainment trends in Northern Ireland. This study aimed to address the gap in the current literature by executing quantitative analysis on the first dataset in Northern Ireland to combine the Census (2011), School Leavers Survey (2010-2014) and School Census (2010-2014). Multilevel modelling examined the effects of sociodemographics and school factors on GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) attainment in Northern Ireland, namely socio-economic status (measured through eight indicators), religion, gender and school type. The data used for analysis provided the first opportunity in Northern Ireland to examine attainment trends for three whole population cohorts who sat their GCSEs in consecutive academic years (2010/2011, 2011/2012, 2012/2013). The data also provided an opportunity to examine socio-economic measures (namely maternal qualifications, paternal qualifications, maternal occupational status, housing tenure, property value and the Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure (2010) for income) that had not previously been available for analysis in educational research in Northern Ireland. When examining the within model effects, the analysis found attending a grammar school had the greatest effect on GCSE attainment, followed by gender (in favour of females). The socio-economic factors of a mother’s and a father’s education qualifications (degree level qualification), free school meal entitlement and housing tenure (residing in a privately owned property) reflected the highest socio-economic effects within analysis. This study also found religion had a varying effect on GCSE attainment. Most notably, the attainment difference between Catholic and Protestant pupils was negligible. Interaction terms were also executed to examine the multiplicative effects of factors on GCSE attainment, which is currently limited in Northern Ireland. As attainment patterns can be understood in various ways using different perspectives, two theories were used throughout to consolidate our understanding. Social identity theory predominantly explained attainment trends according to religion, gender and school type, whilst Bourdieu’s (1986, 1984) concepts of capital and habitus were predominantly used to understand the effects of socioeconomic status and school type. Based upon the findings, this thesis addressed current gaps in the literature and provided direction for future research and policy interested in educational attainment according to socio-economic status, religion, gender and school type, especially in the Northern Ireland context.

Media act as a principal consumer socialisation agent. Children are exposed to a continuous stream of marketing messages and it is reported that children's levels of materialism and wellbeing are negatively affected. Building cognitive defences in children will enable them to critically appraise the content of advertising appeals. At present media literacy education in primary schools is limited. Primary curriculum is undergoing revisions. Employing the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the role of school as a consumer socialisation agent is explored. A mixed methods approach was adopted. By means of a pilot randomised controlled trial, the effect of a recently developed Irish media literacy intervention on outcomes of advertising literacy, materialism and wellbeing is considered. Children aged between eight and 11, in seven primary schools in Ireland took part in the study (n=325). Fidelity of delivery was recorded. Qualitative discussions with teachers and children enabled further consideration of effect of the intervention. The findings show that the media literacy intervention had a statistically significant positive effect on advertising literacy and on wellbeing. A need for further exploration of materialism in children is proposed. The intervention materials were commended by both teachers and children. The characteristic constraint of time as a key barrier to the delivery of media literacy education in school was unearthed. This study demonstrates the positive contribution media literacy education can make to primary curriculum, and suggests means by which media literacy lessons can be included in curriculum.