Purpose: To examine the influence of monitor farm programmes on practice change using the Irish BETTER farm sheep programme as a case study. Methodology: A mixed methods approach combining 16 semi-structured and 69 structured interviews with benchmarking data analysis. Findings: Provision of intensive, tailored advice helped support practice…

Purpose: Applying the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), this paper distinguishes between three groups, advisors, leading farmers and other farmers, and evaluates the extent that these influence farm advisors' intensions to engage with Farmer Health and Safety (FHS) extension activities. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken with…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the uptake of education and training by Irish dairy farmers and how they perceive their training needs to be evolving as their farm business grows and they become employers. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative survey was conducted with 315 dairy farmers, who were randomly selected based on…

Purpose: Farmers experience poor health outcomes and are considered 'hard to reach'. Agricultural advisors ('advisors') are uniquely positioned to support and signpost farmers on health issues. This paper explores the acceptability and terms of reference of a potential health role for advisors, and offers key recommendations for developing a…

This article is based on a research study completed as part of an Ed. D dissertation which explored the experiences of career change teachers (CCTs) in Irish primary and post-primary schools. Their motivations for changing career, both intrinsic and extrinsic, along with the influence of family in career changers' decisions to change career were…

Background: An increasing number of children in the UK and Ireland are growing up speaking more than one language. The many advantages of bilingualism are acknowledged; however, this increased linguistic diversity presents particular challenges for speech and language therapists (SLTs). The case is often more complex with speakers of minority…

This study explores the relation between risk of job automation and participation in adult education and training (AET) and examines variation in that relation across welfare regimes distinguishing between situational and institutional barriers. Using microdata of PIAAC, we analyze participation in formal or nonformal AET for job-related reasons…

Background: Given the disparities in gender representation, efforts are needed to make engineering education more inclusive and attractive to young people. It is important that those entering engineering education are making this decision with sufficient understanding of what it means to be an engineer. This study explored how lower secondary…

In Ireland state funded support services provide Continuing Professional Development for teachers and school leaders. These services are staffed with teachers seconded from their schools on an annual basis for a maximum of five years. This study investigated the learning and experience of teachers seconded to a national support service, the…

Irish Further Education and Training (FET) is presently undergoing a period of transformation after years of experiencing issues related to identity and precarious employment, among others. This paper explores the experiences and motivations of 16 student teachers who, despite the sectoral challenges, have chosen to teach in FET as a second…

Precipitated by a recent policy focus on diversifying Ireland's homogeneous teaching profession, there is an emerging research base focused on the experiences of teachers from under-represented groups. However, the life stories of teachers from lower socio-economic groups remain underexplored. Responsive to the mostly atheoretical nature of…

Regional Technical Colleges, later Institutes of Technology, were developed just over fifty years ago in response to a perceived gap in knowledge, skills, and competencies required to promote market growth and success (Thorn, 2018). It was envisaged that this change to Ireland's higher education landscape would be capable of continuing adaptation…

Purpose: To systematically develop a farm safety intervention for farmer peer learning groups, to support safe working practice adoption. Design/Methodology/Approach: An iterative, multi-actor process was used, guided by the Intervention Mapping framework and the Socio-Ecological Model. The target peer learning groups were Irish dairy farmer…

Food science-based graduates are a significant proportion of the United Kingdom (UK) food and drink industry's workforce. Aside from technical standards, there is no cohesive competency framework to support key stakeholders; employers, students, and degree providers. Clarity of desirable competencies for the range of graduate opportunities…

Purpose: To explore young peoples' motivation for engaging in agricultural education. Autonomous and controlled forms of extrinsic and intrinsic regulation are discussed regarding young peoples' decision to pursue an agricultural education. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative research approach was applied comprising of purposive and…