Search

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

This article adopts a phenomenological-oriented approach to explore the perceptions of a small cohort of teachers about teacher pedagogical well-being (TPWB), the experience of which is intimately connected with a teacher's sense of self-care. Existing Finnish research on this topic informed the design of semi-structured interviews across two schools. The findings were analysed initially with reference to the existing research. It identified management and collegial support, as well as student engagement as cornerstones for TPWB. In order to extend the analysis beyond the existing research, the Foucaudian optic of governmentality was introduced, in particular, Stephen Ball's application of it for education. This highlighted the extent to which the experience of TPWB, of teachers' sense of self-care, can be impacted by the culture of performativity. Significantly, it also emerged that a teacher's capacity for self-definition, for reflexivity, can offer a mantle of resistance for the being of a teacher, especially at a time when they are being subjected to governance by performativity.

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

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

A 62-year-old man attended ophthalmology for a simple ptosis repair. He had a chronic cough, a Horner's syndrome with post-gustatory hyperhidrosis. He was referred to the respiratory and neurology teams. MR scan of his head and neck found evidence of multifocal disease at the skull base and carotid canal, and further tests identified additional deposits in the hilar lymph nodes, heart and sacrum. A transbronchial biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. His symptoms and imaging responded well to corticosteroids, but he still undergoes regular imaging. We discuss the features of Horner's syndrome, and the autonomic associations of a chronic cough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critiques the impact of neo-liberalism on postprimary education, and in particular on the teaching of English. The paper explores the implications of performativity and exam-driven schooling on the teaching and learning of poetry. The authors argue that meeting the demands of an education system dominated by technicism and standardisation poses considerable challenge to teacher autonomy and pedagogy. They also draw attention to the uncontested dominance of this social contract in education and suggest it to be a catalyst for the standardisation and commodification of knowledge that has resulted in considerable de-professionalisation of English teachers. The paper proposes that as a result teachers are confronted with the choice of conformity or resistance in their practice, and argues that counter-hegemonic endeavour is urgently needed in the drive to redress this circumstance.

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

Background and purpose: Pure autonomic failure (PAF) is a rare progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by neurogenic orthostatic hypotension at presentation, without other neurological abnormalities. Some patients may develop other central neurological features indicative of multiple system atrophy or a Lewy body disorder. There are currently no biomarkers to assess possible central nervous system involvement in probable PAF at an early stage. A possibility is to evaluate the nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration by imaging of dopamine transporter with DaTscan brain imaging. The objective was to evaluate subclinical central nervous system involvement using DaTscan in PAF. Methods: We retreospectively reviewed pure autonomic failure patients who were evaluated at the Autonomic Unit between January 2015 and August 2021 and underwent comprehensive autonomic assessment, neurological examination, brain magnetic resonance imaging and DaTscan imaging. DaTscan imaging was performed if patients presented with atypical features which did not meet the criteria for Parkinson's disease or multiple system atrophy or other atypical parkinsonism. Results: In this cohort, the median age was 49.5 years at disease onset, 57.5 years at presentation, and the median disease duration was 7.5 years. Five of 10 patients had an abnormal DaTscan without neurological features meeting the criteria of an alternative diagnosis. Patients with abnormal DaTscan were predominantly males, had shorter disease duration and had more severe genitourinary symptoms. Discussion: Degeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons measured using DaTscan imaging can present in patients with PAF without concurrent signs indicating progression to widespread α‐synucleinopathy. It is advocated that DaTscan imaging should be considered as part of the workup of patients with emerging autonomic failure who are considered to have PAF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a tiered conceptualization of family partnership developed by the Family-Run Executive Director Leadership Association (FREDLA) with examples of strategies from the literature. This sub-study was part of an overarching systematic review project that aimed to review the literature on family partnership in relation to youth outcomes. The tiers of family partnership include family involvement (i.e. family's inclusion in their child's care); family engagement (i.e. collaboration between TRC and families); family-driven (i.e. families as full partners). This review included thirty studies (n = 23 family involvement, n = 7 family engagement, n = 0 family-driven). The most common family involvement methods were family therapy and family visits to the program, primarily, delivered face-to-face. The most common family engagement method was activities, therapies, and skill building occurring at the home with family present. Methods of measuring family partnership primarily included the use of administrative data. Implications for research and practice include the provision of research that evaluates the effects of family partnership on outcomes important in the TRC setting and the development of research-practice and family-research collaborations to increase the uptake of effective family partnering methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]