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National identities have been challenged by European integration, globalisation, migration and regionalisation. More recently, there has been a resurgence of nationhood and national identity which begs the question how education systems, and curricula in particular, are responding to this. This article explores how national identity is reflected in history, geography and civic education curricula in France and Ireland. More specifically, it examines how national, European and international aspects are intertwined in these state curricula. This question is explored through a case study of curriculum units and subunits as well as discourses of how identity is being promoted in the curriculum. Our analysis highlights that French curricula privilege national topics, especially in history and civic education, whereas Irish curricula veer between national, European and international (global) notions. Our analysis explores the extent to which macro-political discourses around national identity are reflected in the shaping of the subject curricula in two countries. While the article focuses on France and Ireland, the discussions are also of interest to other jurisdictions regarding the civic expectations and role of schools in promoting national (or other) identities.

This article focuses on deepening the understanding of the factors affecting migrant students' integration in Ghana's educational system. Research on migrant education has primarily centred on northern destination countries. Using the case of West African migrant children in a multiethnic and multilingual Ghanaian setting, the article examines the complex and interplaying factors affecting migrant students' integration into Ghanaian schools. Analysis from 40 semi-structured interviews with teachers and principals drawn from 30 schools offers insights into the challenges faced by schools in trying to help migrant students succeed. The study offers practical insights into the advantages of having teachers with a migrant background, especially the extent to which they use their intercultural competencies in helping migrant students overcome school-related challenges. While the fieldwork was carried out in Ghana, the implications are also of interest to other jurisdictions where schools are faced with migration-related diversity.

This article presents results of a cross-cultural comparison of trainer and trainee attitudes towards a variety of diversity issues, notably attitudes towards non-national trainees and those from other ethnic, religious and racial groups. Cross-cultural comparisons are made in the six European countries studied: France, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Spain and the UK. The sample included 469 respondents (273 trainees and 196 trainers). There were consistent findings showing that trainees were more positive in their attitudes to cultural diversity, and specifically more tolerant and accepting of non-national and ethnically diverse fellow trainees than were their trainers. These findings largely corroborate those obtained from secondary school students and their teachers in the wider study. The results are discussed in light of country differences in relation to migration patterns and interpreted in light of contact theory. We also highlight implications for social inclusion and education and training policies across Europe.

This is the first empirical study to explore the ways different types of primary school in the Republic of Ireland integrate children from diverse religious backgrounds. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with principals and teachers, the article focuses on the role of ethos and leadership in the integration processes in one denominational Catholic and two multi-denominational schools. We compare school ethos and enrolment policies, as well as pedagogy and curricular design in religious education across the three types of schools. While the study is carried out in Ireland, it is also of interest to other jurisdictions where schools are faced with increasing religious diversity among their student population.

This article examines the post-school pathways of Russian-speaking students in Ireland after completing secondary education; the importance of personal and institutional factors in shaping their transition process, and the role of parents and schools in achieving the post-school goals. The article draws on the qualitative exploratory study of 14 Russian-speaking migrant-origin students, to see how this group progresses beyond secondary schooling in the Irish education system. The study found that all participants had high educational aspirations. Most students achieved their desired first-choice post-school pathway, despite coming from a different linguistic and cultural background. The article points to a range of factors, which affect the post-school transition of migrant young people. The findings are discussed in light of Ireland's liberal welfare state model with neo-liberal tendencies where those in positions of power can buy into the advantages of the more neo-liberal side of the regime.

This article explores the ethos of multi-denominational primary schools in the context of increasing cultural and religious diversity in the Republic of Ireland. In particular, it investigates how the official ethos is played out in day-to-day school interactions. The mixed-methods study draws on data collected from 11 community national schools focussing on the perspectives of principals, teachers and pupils. The data indicates while schools' formal ethos sets out guiding principles and standards, a closer look reveals the specific identity of each individual school within the broader formal framework. The article presents a new perspective on school ethos research by exploring the extent to which it guides the promotion of diversity and tolerance in a multi-faith context. While the study is carried out in Ireland, it is also of interest to other jurisdictions where schools are faced with increasing religious diversity among their student population.

Childhood studies place emphasis on children's agency, their ability to understand their own world and act upon it. Children actively participate in meaningful social interactions in both formal and informal settings. Considering recent large-scale migration in Ireland, it is vital to understand how children interact in an increasingly diverse world where they encounter cultural and religious difference. This article draws on a mixed-methods case study exploring religious education (RE) in community national schools (CNS), a new model of multi-denominational primary schools in Ireland. The results from focus groups with 10- to 12-year-old children show the role of agency in developing religious knowledge and forming inter-ethnic friendships, and the crucial role schools play in empowering pupils to interact with an increasingly diverse society.

This article seeks to provide an insight into the role of school principals dealing with newly multicultural and multi-faith student populations by drawing on a mixed-methods study on state-funded multi-denominational community national schools in Ireland. The study explores the extent to which school principals address the increasing social and cultural diversity in their schools by helping to establish inclusive and supportive school environments. The study identifies the main agents in shaping the school culture, and how the multi-denominational ethos is experienced by students. The article endeavours to provide academics and practitioners with a better understanding of the importance of leadership in shaping school climate that promotes a sense of belonging for all the students.

Widening participation programmes aim to increase the progression of students from low socio-economic status (SES) groups to higher education. This research proposes that the human capabilities approach is a good justice-based framework within which to consider the social and cultural capital processes that impact upon the educational capabilities of young people from low SES groups. It presents a case study which examines the developing capability set of Irish students from a representative sample of schools participating in a university-based widening participation outreach programme aimed at increasing social and cultural capital constructs. Qualitative analysis is presented from four schools; four student focus groups with 22 student participants, and 15 individual student interviews. Findings focus on the developing capabilities of autonomy, hope, voice and identity, as well as on the relationship between specific widening participation activities and the developing capability set. The findings highlight the development of college-focused knowledge and how this impacts upon students' aspiration to participate in higher education. The idea of 'widening capability' is discussed in relation to the potential of the capability approach to contribute an additional dimension to a mainly neoliberal policy rhetoric, which emphasises the market value of higher-education participation. In doing so, it explores how widening participation activities can influence the widening capability set of low SES students, and its relationship with what the students deem to be "a life of value."

The internationalisation of the population of Ireland in recent decades has created a more culturally diverse society. Hence teachers need to have the necessary skills to teach in ethno-culturally diverse classrooms. In addition, teachers need to have required tools and knowledge to teach in increasingly multicultural classrooms. This article looks at ethno-cultural diversity in Irish primary ITE courses. The research draws on documentary sources and interviews with teacher educators and pre-service teachers. The research aims to better understand the preparedness of student teachers to teach in culturally diverse classrooms. The findings demonstrate that although the concept of ethno-cultural diversity as featured in the courses aligns with policy expectations, the autonomy afforded to HEIs in devising how the concept is addressed in ITE courses can mean variable level of preparedness of student teachers in addressing this topic in the classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the factors affecting the inclusion of migrant students and how they exercise agency in response to the challenges that impede their inclusion within the Ghanaian education system. We draw on agency and inclusion theories in the analysis of interviews and observation data from 68 migrant students across 30 schools. The findings show the negative impact of language, exploitation, labeling, and teasing on migrant students in the absence of inclusive structures. This article brings to the fore the lack of inclusion for migrant students at the basic school level in Ghana and its negative ramifications on the academic achievement of not just migrant students but all students. The study highlights how migrant students demonstrate relational agency in their preference for friendships with people from similar backgrounds in overcoming challenges in school. Our findings contribute to studies on migration and education by addressing some of the challenges and possibilities of comparative and international education in "postcolonial" Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the extent to which young people in predominantly middle-class environments identify with Europe and considers the influence of European education policy, school ethos and curricula. We compare data drawn from individual and focus group interviews with students aged 15-17 at a state school and a European School in England. The empirical analysis was informed by post-structuralism and found that young people at both schools developed multidimensional, multifaceted identities. Students at the European School, which has an ethos of developing both national "and" European identities, identified themselves more as European than their peers at the state school, which integrated students on the basis of a common British citizenship. The findings suggest that the policy on the European dimension in education contributes towards developing students' identification with Europe and to their knowledge of Europe, though not at the expense of their ethnic and national identities, which were stronger than their European identities. Lack of a European dimension in education (both in and out of school) seems to result in a lack of identification with and knowledge about Europe.

Growing secularisation of the population and the arrival of new culturally and religiously diverse migrants are posing new challenges to schools in the Republic of Ireland (Ireland). These challenges are particularly acute in Irish primary schools, the majority of which are under Catholic patronage. Recent changes have necessitated an extensive consultation process about how to accommodate religious diversity and have resulted in some important policy changes. This article contributes to an ongoing debate about state-run denominational schools and the place of Religious Education in these. While set in the Irish context, the article is also relevant for educators and academics in other jurisdictions as it describes recent policy developments and steps taken in addressing cultural and religious diversity in schools.

European societies rely on different models to address cultural and religious diversity in education, with different potential consequences for the experiences youth have in schools. Some prefer the term intercultural education emphasising dialogue and interaction while others have historically followed the idea of multicultural education. In recent years, despite the principle of subsidiarity, European institutions have become a key player in education including intercultural education. This article draws on four semi-structured interviews with European Union (EU) education policy-makers to explore the Europeanisation of intercultural education, specifically why and how national educational discourses are shaped by European directives and guidelines. We found that European discourses often run counter to national policies and that EU officials are deeply engaged in promoting intercultural educational philosophies and tackling the educational attainment gaps via the soft-law tool of the Open Method of Coordination (OMC). The study raises questions about the legitimacy of such EU interventions in national policy domains and assesses the usefulness of a more integrated approach to intercultural education in Europe.

Migration to Ireland is continuing, albeit at a much slower pace, and migrant children continue to have a strong presence in Irish schools. How well these students integrate into the Irish education system depends, at least partially, on the support measures the schools have put in place for them. This article draws on the results of a large-scale empirical study on academic and social support measures available in Irish secondary schools, and contributes to the debate on challenges, in terms of inclusivity, posed by immigration into Ireland. The article discusses approaches taken at government and school level in addressing the needs of new arrivals, offering a comparative perspective of various support models in the EU. While there is a growing body of research on the experiences of migrant children and young people in schools, few previous studies have drawn on a nationally representative data set and focused specifically on the support measures migrant students can have access to.

This article examines the extent to which citizens of migrant origin are included within discourses of national identity in civic education curricula in England, France and Ireland. We explore how much space is given to citizens of migrant origin in discourses of national identity in civic education curricula and how they fit with central values normalized by a higher degree of recognition in schools. Although early immigration systems assumed that incorporation of migrants into the national polity would take place via socialization in education, the failure to include citizens of migrant origin in the contemporary "imagined community" articulated in civic education discourses risks marginalizing some citizens which gives rise to a sovereignty gap. The disparity between legal and cultural belonging of some individuals in Western Europe presents a major challenge for education systems which are tasked with making national identity discourse resonate with a globalized citizenry. The study found that despite commonalities around the promotion of human rights and democracy, civic education curricula diverge with regard to representation of religion. Moreover, nationalistic aspects of the French model contrast with a multicultural, and recently global, approach to citizenship education in England and the promotion of European citizenship in Ireland. (Contains 8 notes.)

Schools in Greece particularly in inner-city areas, have seen a considerable increase in the number of migrant students over the past two decades. In this article, we discuss the intercultural education policy, which was introduced in 1996, in response to the migration and diversity the country has seen since the mid-1980s. We explore how policymakers and other stakeholders in the field of education have defined the notion of interculturalism and its implementation in schools. Our discussions draw on two separate studies, which used very similar tools and methods to elicit information. The article provides new insights from educators about how to respond to Greece's diverse student population. The results not only highlight gaps between government policy and school practice, differences between traditionalists and progressivists, but also show that Greece has still a long way to go, to leave behind its ethnocentric image and fully implement intercultural education within all public schools, not only in the so-called intercultural schools. (Contains 3 notes.)

National curricula are being challenged and transformed by the impact of migration and European integration. This paper examines how cultural diversity and Europe are intertwined in geography, history, and citizenship education curricula in Greece, Germany, and England. This question is explored using quantitative and qualitative methods through a case study of curriculum content and discourses of 5 years compulsory schooling in all three countries. One might expect Germany and Greece, which have historically embraced a more monocultural vision, as having largely similar approaches. Yet, the cross-national analysis illustrates that the relationships between European and multicultural values are put together in rather different ways depending on the school subject. Whilst history is ethnocentric in all three countries, Greek geography and citizenship curricula veer between ethnocentrism and Europeanism. In contrast, in England, notions of multicultural Britishness are reinforced in geography and citizenship education. German curricula privilege national and European topics, but attempts have been made to address diversity, particularly in geography. Curriculum analyses have hitherto largely focused on either national and European dimensions or multicultural and global dimensions. This study provides new insights into how these dimensions intersect and their combined effect on migration and citizenship education in European societies. (Contains 7 notes, 1 table, and 1 figure.)

In Germany, unlike other European countries, citizenship education has a long history. Since the Second World War, its role has evolved from promoting de-Nazification in the West and state socialism in the East to emphasising common citizenship in a multicultural society. Today, the federal states ("Bundeslander") are largely autonomous in matters of education. Drawing on citizenship curricula from two states with historically opposite political constellations--Berlin and Baden-Wurttemberg--we argue that they share an emphasis on the fragility of democracy and the challenges arising from migration. While Baden-Wurttemberg favours the concept of tolerance, Berlin privileges the idea of interculturalism. There are important within-state differences: the Baden-Wurttemberg curriculum for the vocational-track "Hauptschule" being more similar to the curricula in Berlin, perhaps as a result of the larger concentration of migrants. This raises questions for educators and policy-makers around the need for a single coherent model of citizenship education and the importance of citizenship in multicultural Germany for "all". (Contains 3 notes.)

This article draws on history, geography and citizenship education curricula and six semi-structured interviews with policy-makers--three with officials from the Department for Children, Schools and Families, two from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and one from the Office for Standards in Education. It argues that the governmental approach of a "civic rebalancing" of multiculturalism is reflected in education. The study also shows how history, geography and citizenship curricula reflect current policy discourses, emphasising community cohesion whilst sustaining the British legacy of multiculturalism and underplaying the notion of Europe. The article contributes to a larger debate on the ways in which curricula and policy-makers balance cultural diversity and community cohesion, and considers democracy in the school as a potentially cohesive factor. It departs from standard two-way comparisons of national versus European or national versus multicultural agendas in addressing how national, European and migration-related agendas are intertwined.

This article investigates how 15-year-old white and Turkish students in two Inner London comprehensive schools, one in a predominantly working-class area (Millroad School) and the other in a more middle-class environment (Darwin School), construct their identities. Drawing on mainly qualitative data from documentary sources, focus groups and semi-structured interviews, the work points to a range of factors affecting identity formation processes, such as macro-political approaches and school dynamics. The research found that at Millroad School, which celebrated diversity and where students' conflict was ethnic or racial, young people found safety in their national(istic) identities. In contrast, at Darwin where there was only low-level ethnic conflict, young people developed hybrid ethno-national identities. This article raises important questions about how to create community cohesion in conflictual environments so as to promote both diversity and solidarity. (Contains 1 table and 4 notes.)

Germany has been reluctant to adapt its education systems to the growing number of minority ethnic students, and politicians and policy makers have only recently officially acknowledged that Germany is an immigration country despite decades of mass immigration. This article first provides a socio-historical analysis of the German responses to migration-related cultural and religious diversity by tracing the development of educational policies from assimilationist notions of "foreigner pedagogy' in the 1960s and 1970s to intercultural education, which slowly emerged in schools in the 1980s and 1990s. However, unlike European education, intercultural education still lacks official support in some German federal states. Drawing upon qualitative data collected in two Stuttgart secondary schools, the article then discusses the ways in which schools and students have mediated such macro-level policies. Goethe Gymnasium (a university-track school) promoted European values alongside multicultural values whereas Tannberg Hauptschule (a vocational-track school) was close to being Eurocentric and positioned minority ethnic students as the "Other". The findings suggest that Germany still has some way to go to overcome cultural insensitivities, to increase minority ethnic representation amongst teachers and to promote both diversity and civic cohesion. (Contains 1 table and 4 notes.)

Germany's national (or ethnic) identity has become thoroughly European and there are even signs of Eurocentrism. This is particularly problematic for the Turkish Muslims who, arguably, are not European. This article explores how fifteen-year-old German and Turkish youth in two Stuttgart secondary schools, one in a predominantly working-class area (Tannberg Hauptschule) and the other in a more middle-class environment (Goethe Gymnasium), negotiate their identities. Drawing on documentary sources, focus groups and semi-structured interviews, the research found that at Tannberg, which at times adopted a Eurocentric approach and where some teachers were getting close to being Islamophobic, young people developed ethno-national identities. In contrast, at Goethe, which promoted European values alongside rather than instead of multicultural values, young people employed national-European hybrid identities. This article raises important questions about the role of education in the development of identities, and how to address notions of cultural insensitivity and inequality. (Contains 1 table and 4 notes.)

Europe is undergoing considerable demographic, economic, cultural and socio-political change. National citizenship identities have been challenged by the simultaneous processes of European integration and the migration of people into and across Europe. This paper explores how the current generation of youth relates towards Europe, and highlights the factors affecting their political knowledge, interests and identities. Although the article draws on mainly qualitative data from a study into the political identities of native youth and youth of Turkish descent in England and Germany, the results have implications for all European countries. The research indicates that, in countries which promote European agendas and where schools and curricula emphasize an inclusive concept of Europe (e.g. Goethe Gymnasium in Stuttgart), young people have high levels of knowledge about Europe and make Europe part of their hybrid identities. However, in countries where governments and schools marginalize European agendas (e.g. Millroad School in London), young people struggle to relate positively to Europe, especially in working-class contexts where national(istic) agendas come to the fore. The article raises important questions about the possibilities of promoting inclusive governmental and curriculum approaches and offers ways in which the knowledge and identity gaps between youth in different European countries could be addressed. (Contains 3 tables and 4 notes.)

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-4446.2009.01232.x Byline: Daniel Faas (1) Keywords: Identity; hybridity; Turkish youth; schooling; social class; citizenship Abstract: Abstract Sociological research has hitherto largely focused on majority .sup.2 and minority ethnic identities or citizenship identities. However, the social connections between youth are not simply ethnic dynamics but also political dynamics involving citizenship categories. This article argues that in postmodern societies, it is important to reconsider the ways we think about youth identities. Drawing upon qualitative data from a study into the political identities of majority (German and British) youth and Turkish youth, educated in two Stuttgart and two London secondary schools, the research found that fifteen-year-olds had no singular identity but hybrid ethno-national, ethno-local and national-European identities as a result of governmental policies, their schooling and community experience, social class positioning, ethnicity and migration history. In working-class educational contexts, many majority and Turkish youth privileged the ethnic dimension of hybridity whereas majority and Turkish youth in the two middle-class dominated schools emphasized the political dimension of hybridity. The article demonstrates that social class and schooling (e.g. ethos and peer cultures) have a considerable role to play in who can afford to take on the more hybridized cosmopolitan identities on offer. Author Affiliation: (1)Department of Sociology, Trinity College, Dublin Article History: (Date accepted: November 2008) Article note: email: daniel.faas@cantab.net

The Identity of Nations By Montserrat Guibernau Cambridge: Polity Press, 2007, 235 pp., ISBN 13: 978-07456-2662-8. In The Identity of Nations, Montserrat Guibernau engages in the current debates about the [...]

Research on migrant children and young people has often focused on the global North and less on South–South migration. This article discusses language and its effect on how young migrants access Ghanaian schools. Through interviews with 68 pupils, 21 parents and 40 teachers and principals from 30 schools across Accra, we found that children and young people from francophone countries were placed in lower than age‐appropriate grades due to their lower command of English. Our study highlights the complex linguistic barriers facing migrant youth in an anglocentric educational system. The article discusses the relevance of our results in other postcolonial multilingual nations in the global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Bourdieusian class analysis, this mixed-methods study examines the nuances in the upward mobility of Filipino nurse migrants in the Republic of Ireland as they move from the Philippines to Ireland. The article illustrates how the transnational connections of nurses create cleavages among them as a micro-class category in the host state and argues how the social class position of the family continues to impact on the class conditions of migrants – especially those from lower income backgrounds. In contrast, the financial independence of higher income families leads to better life chances for nurses allowing them to invest in additional economic capital, pursue personal projects and improve their symbolic capital. This can be described as the social reproduction of inequality on a transnational scale, which has repercussions on the present and future class conditions of migrants. The article contributes to discussions on class conditions and mobility from a transnational frame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the economic and family experiences of first- and second-generation Hong Kong Chinese in the Republic of Ireland. Although they are the earliest Chinese group in Ireland, their lived experiences have been overshadowed by a large influx of mainland Chinese since the end of the 1990s. This is the first empirical study in Ireland that makes the complex lived experiences of this migrant group visible. Their cross-generational economic performance and value of family is illustrated in diaspora theory. The findings are drawn from two sources: qualitative interviews with forty-one interviewees across two generations, and documentary research, including official records. Besides economic contributions to Irish society, the data highlights the complex and interrelated family issues. The high level of cohesion in Hong Kong Chinese families was reflected in their family views. The study also contributes to understandings of new diverse global migratory movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]