Non-cognitive skills have increasingly been recognised as an important part of holistic education, but more research is needed on how best to ingrate them into existing educational frameworks. This study examined variables critical to the implementation of a non-cognitive skills programme in post-primary schools in Ireland. Teachers (N = 76) were…

This study explores teachers' experiences of peer observation in a post-primary setting. We begin by reviewing the literature on the peer observation of teaching, teacher professional development, professional learning communities and reflective practice. A qualitative, inductive, multi-method case study is used. Four pairs of teachers…

In this study, we aimed to analyze Irish educators' differentiation practices and their relationship to teachers' sense of efficacy. We examined teachers' (N = 470) reports of their curriculum modification practices and their provision of challenge or choice. When their students had mastered the required class work, more than half of teachers were…

In this study, we explore the following: a) How do secondary student teachers, engaged in collaborative action research, function as critical friends? b) What challenges do they encounter? How do they mitigate these challenges? and c) In what ways did meeting as critical friends influence the student teachers' learning to conduct collaborative…

'FUSE' is an anti-bullying and online safety programme developed to support schools in complying with the Action Plan Procedures (2013). Between 2019 and 2022, 56% of all Post-Primary Schools in Ireland registered for the programme. FUSE is designed to address two key concerns, (a) students tend not to report bullying, and (b) students are…

Adaptive science dispositions (epistemology, enjoyment, interest, and self-efficacy) have been shown to be related to schools' science climate and science literacy. School stratification may promote positive linkages among science dispositions, science literacy, and science climate. To examine the association between school stratification and such…

The end of first year in secondary mathematics education is an important yet neglected milestone in the literature. It represents a crucial period in a students' mathematical lifetime when they have negotiated the physical, academic and emotional bridges between primary and secondary education, bridges which have been shown to impact considerably…

To address the issue of gender disparity in participation in the physics state matriculation exam, a novel school visit program was designed. The program was facilitated by undergraduate university students of physics and related courses who visited schools providing lower secondary education and delivered a single-session workshop including…

In Ireland, while, on average, students have performed well on national and international assessments of mathematics and science, the low proportions of high achievers in these subjects are noteworthy. Given these patterns and the multifaceted benefits in individual and societal terms that expertise in mathematics and science has been associated…

A rising crisis of confidence has been noted amongst teachers of poetry in recent years. Amplified by external factors such as high-stakes testing regimes, performance indicators, standardisation and accountability measures, teachers are increasingly challenged to provide immersive, imaginative and engaging encounters with poetry while developing…

Based on social cognitive career theory (SCCT) this study explored the barriers to females choosing STEM disciplines at post-primary level. The study firstly explored national data from all secondary schools in Ireland, to compare subject uptake at the leaving certificate cycle and discipline uptake at third level. Secondly, a focus group was…

While in most countries today women attain higher levels of education than men, on average, they are less likely than men to be employed and they earn less. There are many reasons why these gender gaps open; some are apparent in secondary school. For example, even when they outperform boys academically, girls are less likely than their male peers…

Citizen Development (CD) is a method of delivering low-code no-code (LCNC) development that empowers subject matter experts to design, develop, and deploy applications into production as though they were full-on, experienced coders. This paper explores teachers' perceptions around the potential for, and enactment of LCNC in our education system.…

This exploratory study considered the impact of a whole school programme to enhance relationships, promote positive behaviour, and reduce teacher stress in a secondary school. The programme was facilitated by the school's educational psychologist (EP) drawing on psychological theory and practice across a range of paradigms (ecosystemic, cognitive,…

In this paper we explore the attitudes of under-privileged secondary school pupils in Ireland towards mathematics and investigate the impact of attending a 4-week engagement programme on these attitudes. The pupils involved in this research attended schools recognized by the Department of Education & Skills as socio-economically deprived.…