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Taking account of the complex and fluid relationship that exists between social structures and human agency, this dissertation critically explores how intercultural education is conceptualised and practised by teachers and principals in three Irish primary schools. Adopting a whole school approach, it critically explores the models of intercultural education emerging in the schools and examines the extent to which selected variables (leadership, ethos, culture, curriculum, pedagogy, relations) support and determine these models. It also draws on the voice of students to illuminate aspects of teachers’ practice. A review of the literature indicates that while a small number of Irish studies (Bryan, 2008, 2009a, 2009b) have provided critical theoretical insights into intercultural education as conceptualised and practised at second level, no previously published Irish research has provided critical analysis of a whole school approach to intercultural education at primary level. Adopting a qualitative case study methodology grounded in critical ethnography, this study explores the whole school environments of three Irish primary schools. It employs the methods of semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, observations and document analysis. The study’s empirical findings are integrated with concepts drawn from critical and poststructural social theories, including the theories of critical multiculturalism, transformative leadership theory, discourse theory and cultural reproduction theory. Findings indicate a predominance of weaker models of intercultural education ' underpinned by liberal ideology. However, elements of critical multicultural education underpinned by more radical ideologies are also evident. Analysis suggests that the three interrelated variables of power relations, patronage and ethos and school leadership are the most important factors in determining the models of intercultural education emerging in the three schools. Findings also indicate that a more traditional curricular approach may be preferable to the weak additive curricular approaches which appear to be endemic in many Irish primary schools. The data suggest that while well intentioned, teachers’ endeavours to include intercultural content in their lesson plans can sometimes do more to undermine than support migrant students’ sense of belonging and feelings of inclusion and nonmigrant students’ understandings of the “developing” world. Critical analysis of the three case study schools and the Intercultural Education Guidelines (IEGs) (NCCA, 2005) suggests that a re-conceptualisation of intercultural education is necessary in the Irish context if intercultural education is to realise its transformative potential. In this context, a justice and rights informed framework of critical intercultural education which foregrounds the principles of democracy, critical consciousness and equity is presented. It is argued that this framework has the capacity to transform inequitable school power relations, organisational structures, policies and practices.

This research study critically examines how key stakeholders in the CNS model conceptualise the CNS ethos and how school staff in one diverse primary school conceptualise and enact the CNS ethos. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data as part of a qualitative, single case study methodology. The qualitative software programme NVivo was used to support data analysis processing. A theoretical framework comprising of both critical and liberal egalitarian theories from the interdisciplinary field of equality studies (e.g., Gramsci, 1971; Bourdieu and Passeron, 1990; Baker et al., 2009; Ladson-Billings 1995;2014) was then applied to coded data. Critical analysis suggests that key stakeholders’ and school staff’s conceptualisations of the CNS ethos have evolved over time. Understandings have changed from religious-centric interpretations of the CNS ethos to broader egalitarian conceptualisations which are congruent with liberal forms of multicultural education. Analysis also suggests that areas of school life associated with ethos have broadened from a sole emphasis on the Patron’s Curriculum (Goodness Me! Goodness You!) to multiple aspects of school life. Analysis indicates conflicting perspectives on the continued use of the term ‘multi-denominational’ as a descriptor for the CNS model given its religious connotations. While enactments of the CNS ethos are broadly reflective of conceptualisations, there are also notable dissonant elements. Consistent with liberal forms of multicultural education, in enacting the CNS ethos, significant efforts are made by teachers to ensure that both the formal and hidden curricula are reflective of the school’s diverse community. Teachers employ democratic pedagogies which draw on the children’s cultural/linguistic/religious/belief knowledge and lived experiences. School leaders actively address the barriers faced by minoritised parents in engaging with school life. They encourage parents from minoritised religious and ethnic groups to participate on various democratic and decision-making fora (e.g., Parent Association, Board of Management, ethos-related policy committees). However, findings also indicate that the habitus and various forms of capital possessed by minoritised parents from middle-class, highly educated backgrounds are valued over those of parents from working class backgrounds from either dominant or minoritised groups. Although the school endeavours to affirm diversity, there is evidence of the hierarchisation of the diversity variables recognised and affirmed in the classroom. While the habitus of minoritised religious/belief, linguistic and cultural groups are affirmed, this is less so the case for members of the LGBTQ+ community and children from working class backgrounds. Responses to LGBTQ+ identities are particularly constrained due to the significant influence parents from conservative religious backgrounds have on the school’s ethos-related curricula and policies. This can be seen as problematic as it results in a dissonance between the school’s espoused egalitarian ethos and current practices in responding to some forms of diversity. Several policy recommendations are suggested to address issues raised in the study.

Access to adequate, safe, secure, accessible and affordable housing is a fundamental human right and one stipulated in the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Australian adults with disabilities experience housing disadvantage including homelessness, poor-quality housing and housing unaffordability; however, we lack a comprehensive comparison of the housing circumstances of people with and without disabilities and differences by impairment type. We analysed data from a nationally representative sample of 11,394 working-aged Australians collected in 2011. We found that people with disabilities experienced disadvantage across all housing indicators, and people with intellectual and psychological disabilities fared worst. These findings suggest that there is a housing crisis for Australians with disabilities, which may intensify with the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. There is a need to develop long-term housing solutions that promote independence, are accessible and affordable, and that consider location and neighbourhood context. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

This study explores the school-based experiences of a sample of students of minority faith or minority worldview attending Post-Primary schools with a Catholic ethos. The primary aim of this research is to give voice to these students regarding their experiences of a Catholic school ethos and how this ethos caters for the spiritual and moral development of this cohort of students. A secondary aim of the research is to explore the relevance and practise of identity humility theory in relation to these students’ lived experiences of schools whose ethos may be at variance with the students’ espoused belief systems. This qualitative study draws on semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of eighteen self-selecting students who identified as people of minority faith or belief worldviews attending a Catholic post-primary school. Interpretative Phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to interrogate the data set. The emerging themes were further reflected on in terms of the theoretical perspectives of identity humility, hegemony, identity development, agency, othering, and conformity. The findings of the research suggest that students’ identity development, sense of belonging and well-being may be impacted by negative stereotyping, Catholic centric practices and an implicit or explicit expectation of acquiescence to Catholic norms. However, students also described a positive, safe school atmosphere and an interest in World Religions and meditation. Students wanted to learn about religion together and particularly valued class discussion. The diversity of the reported students’ experiences is attributed to both student and teacher agency and the autonomy afforded to schools by the State. The value of identity humility theory and practice is posited (1) as a possible avenue to address the needs of an increasingly diverse school population as an alternative and more practical solution than a segregationist policy of diversification of school patronage (2), as a way of balancing the constitutional right of the Catholic majority, to choose a Catholic religious education with the rights of minority belief students to attend their local school and have their moral and spiritual educational rights equally supported.

Background: People with disabilities are socio-economically disadvantaged and have poorer health than people without disabilities; however, little is known about the way in which disadvantage is patterned by gender and type of impairment. Objectives: 1. To describe whether socio-economic circumstances vary according to type of impairment (sensory and speech, intellectual, physical, psychological and acquired brain injury). 2. To compare levels of socio-economic disadvantage for women and men with the same impairment type. Methods:We used a large population-based disability-focused survey of Australians, analyzing data from 33,101 participants aged 25–64. Indicators of socio-economic disadvantage included education, income, employment, housing vulnerability, and multiple disadvantage. Stratified by impairment type, we estimated: the population weighted prevalence of socio-economic disadvantage; the relative odds of disadvantage compared to people without disabilities; and the relative odds of disadvantage between women and men. Results: With few exceptions, people with disabilities fared worse for every indicator compared to people without disability; those with intellectual and psychological impairments and acquired brain injuries were most disadvantaged. While overall women with disabilities were more disadvantaged than men, the magnitude of the relative differences was lower than the same comparisons between women and men without disabilities, and there were few differences between women and men with the same impairment types. Conclusions: Crude comparisons between people with and without disabilities obscure how disadvantage is patterned according to impairment type and gender. The results emphasize the need to unpack how gender and disability intersect to shape socio-economic disadvantage. Refereed/Peer-reviewed