Accomodation and Representation of non-religious views in Irish Education
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Transcript of Accomodation and Representation of non-religious views in Irish Education
‘The Accommodation and Representation of ‘Non-Religious’
views in Irish Primary Education, with particular reference to a
Multi-Denominational Approach.’
Supervisors: Prof. Marie Parker-Jenkins
Dr. Paul McLaughlin
Valerie Desirotte 0708283 – Structured PhD Education
Feedback from first presentation –
points to be addressed
Ontological and epistemological assumptions (slide 4)
Positionality / Reflexivity (slide 5)
Working definitions of concepts (slide 8)
Sampling criteria (slide 11)
Who and what is being observed (slide 13)
Purpose of the Study:
- to evaluate and challenge the theory of the Educate Together multicultural
ethos in relation to the representation of non-religious views;
- to assess the realities of practice, and the commitment of principals and
teachers to the teaching of non-religious views as part of the Educate Together
Ethics Curriculum.
- to determine whether Irish Primary Education, with a particular reference to a
multi-denominational model of education (Educate Together), can lead to
‘equitable’ treatment and representation of ‘non-religious’ views;
Ontology and Epistemology
Subjectivity of social reality – multiple facets - culture is not neutral (Rabinow& Sullivan 0000)
Co-creation of knowledge (participants and researchers) – interpreting phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them (Denzin and Lincoln 2011)
Research situated in time and space – specific historical and political context (Gadamer 1989)
Determinism and voluntarism - Human nature – intersubjectivity of discourse (Ricoeur 1974)
Positionality - Reflexivity
Myth of the neutral observer (Wolcott 1995)
Social and cultural background, gender and personal politics impacts
on researchers’ interpretation (Creswell 2011)
Privilege of the oppressed - universality
‘Horizon of meaning’ built on our tradition (Gadamer 1989) – pre-
condition for understanding – cannot eliminate prejudices – need to
be made explicit and transparent – pre-understanding is essential
Reflexivity – values and prejudices – role and place of participants in
research process – political and cultural forces at play (Pillow 2003)
Peer debriefing – critical friend (Lincoln and Guba 1985)
Research Questions
HOW DO PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF MULTICULTURAL AND
MULTI-DENOMINATIONAL EDUCATION IN AN EDUCATE TOGETHER SCHOOL AND THE PLACE
OF NON-RELIGIOUS VIEWS?
TO WHAT EXTENT, IN PRACTICE, ARE NON-RELIGIOUS VIEWS BEING REPRESENTED BY THE
PRINCIPAL AND THE TEACHERS AS PART OF THEIR ROLE IN UPHOLDING THE MULTI-
DENOMINATIONAL ETHOS OF EDUCATE TOGETHER?
TO WHAT EXTENT IS THE REPRESENTATION OF NON-RELIGIOUS VIEWS LINKED TO THE PRINCIPAL
AND TEACHERS’ CULTURAL BACKGROUND AND PERSONAL BELIEFS?
TO WHAT EXTENT ARE PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS AWARE OF THEIR CAPACITY FOR CHANGE
IN RELATION TO THEIR PRACTICE AND THE TEACHING OF NON-RELIGIOUS VIEWS?
‘Non Religious’ Beliefs(representation in
practice)
Principals Teachers
Conceptual Framework
Multi-Denominational education Educate Together Ethos
Ethics Curriculum
Multicultural Education in Ireland McGlynn 2009, Sen 2006, Parekh 2006
STRUCTURERules and ResourcesPower relationsGovernance/patronNormative representation in society
AGENCYActive and reflective nature of actorTransformation/preservation
HABITUS (Bourdieu 1990)
Durable system of definitionsLogic of practiceCultural capitalInstitutional Habitus
FIELD/POWERSocial SpacePower struggle
Logic of Practice
Recognitive and distributive
practices
Concepts: working definitions
‘Intercultural education’
It is education which respects, celebrates and recognises the normality of diversity in all areas of
human life. It sensitises the learner to the idea that humans have naturally developed a range of
different ways of life, customs and worldviews, and that this breadth of human life enriches us. It is
education, which promotes equality and human rights, challenges unfair discrimination, and
promotes the values upon which equality is built. (NCCA 2005, p. 3).
‘Multi-denominational’
Children of all social and cultural groups and of all religious and non-religious backgrounds [being]
equally respected’ (Educate Together 2004, p. 7).
‘Non-religious views’
No belief in a supernatural power, responsible for the creation of life in the universe
No devotional and ritual observances to supernatural powers
No adherence to a set of moral codes originating from a supernatural power through ‘rules’ or ‘law’
(positive aspects of non-religious beliefs – moral principles based on reason, shared
human values and respect for others, e.g. Humanism)
Research aims
Conduct a critical literature review on the historical, factual, conceptual and theoretical
background of this piece of research;
Undertake a document analysis of relevant documentation, specifically of the Educate
Together Ethics curriculum (e.g. ethos, online CPD courses);
To carry out school and classroom observations in Educate Together primary schools;
To obtain the perspectives of stakeholders, management and teaching staff through
individual interviews
Collect and analyse the data, ensuring ‘credibility’, ‘dependability’ and ‘confirmability’
(Creswell 2013, p. 246).
Critical Literature Review
Historical background to primary education and the overbearing influence of the
denominational patronage model, leading to the present day situation in relation to non-
religious groups;
The institutional/structural discrimination against people of no religion supported by the
State in the educational field and in general (HAI – Equality for the non-religious 2009);
Identifying the gap; prior research on the rights, place, and visibility of the ‘non-religious’
groups in primary education (Daly 2009, Lodge & Lynch 2002, Fischer 2010, 2011,
Mawhinney 2007, DCU Report 2012);
Types of Multiculturalism and education – approaches to cultural diversity (McGlynn 2009,
Sen 2006, Parekh 2006)
The multi-denominational / inter-cultural education model and its claim for equality and
integration – The Educate Together ‘Learn Together’ Ethics curriculum;
Pierre Bourdieu – ‘Habitus’ – transformation and preservation – Structure, Agency and
practice.
Design Frame: Case Study‘the intent in qualitative research is not to generalise information,but to elucidate
the particular, the specific’ (Creswell 2013)
Case study involves the ‘study of a case within a real-life contemporary context or
setting’ (Yin 2009)
Exploratory research (few prior studies – need to further understanding)
‘Multisite’ study (Creswell 2011) – 4 Primary Educate Together Schools (incl. the pilot)
Instrumental case study – actual case is used to further our understanding of a ‘bigger’
issue (Wellington 2000) – i.e. the representation of ‘non-religious’ groups in a multi-denominational
environment.
Criteria for selection – random purposeful – no prior knowledge of the schools –
geographical selection
In-depth understanding through the use of multiple forms of data gathering, i.e. document
analysis, observations, semi-structured interviews.
Weaknesses of case studies: generalizability, validity and sampling (Wellington 2000)
Data Gathering and Data Analysis
Research Methods Data Gathering (iterative process) Data Analysis
Sampling Methods/Resources
Document Analysis
Educate Together ‘Learn Together’ Ethics
Curriculum – CPD courses
Communications to schools, reports,
conferences reports, meeting notes
Schools’ internal guidelines, lesson plans,
pictures, artefacts.
Interpretive approach texts as ‘socially
situated products’, with no ‘single inner
meaning or essence’ (Wellington 2000, pp.
115-116).
Online/written/visual
Interpretative (hidden
meaning) and discourse (use
of language) analysis
Coding
Nvivo (Bazeley 2009)
Observations
3 primary schools + pilot (4)
Central area (4),
playground (4),
Classrooms - 1st to 6th class (one class per
year) - total of 24
Direct and participant observation
Visual / photos
Observation protocol form
4 sets of observational data: (Cohen &
Manion 2011, p. 466)
- notes in situ (descriptive)
- expanded notes (reflexive)
- journal notes
- record of ongoing analysis
Early coding and theme
identification - similarities,
patterns and frequencies –
ensuring conceptual
coherence (Cohen & Manion
2011, p. 468)
Manual
Nvivo
Interviews
Main stakeholders (NCCA, ESRI, Educate
Together, Atheist Ireland, HAI)
Principals (4)
Teachers (1/year, 6/school – 24)
Semi-structured interviews (Kvale 1996,
2006)
Interview protocol form
Tape/video recording (non-verbal
communication)
Focus Groups Creative Methodology
Transcription
Coding and identification of
themes (Bazeley 2009)
Nvivo
Who / What is being observed
Principals in their leadership role;
Teachers inside and outside the classroom;
Interaction between teachers and students to bring clarity to teacher’s teaching content/methods
Students’ reactions to teacher’s teaching content / methods
Schools – physical environment:
Classrooms – central areas .
Data Analysis – Reliability and Validity or:‘credibility’, ‘dependability’ and ‘confirmability’ (Creswell 2013)
Data analysis as part of the design (Creswell 2013)
Iterative process
Researcher’s integrity – ‘trustworthiness’
Dependability : data will be subject to change and instability (Creswell 2011)
Credibility – structural corroboration, consensual validation, referential adequacy (Eisner 1991)
‘Validity checks’ (Maxwell 2008) or ‘credibility’ and ‘dependability’ (Guba & Lincoln 1985),
- Intensive, long involvement, rich data, respondent validation, triangulation, multisite studies.
‘Ethical validation’ and ‘substantive validation’ (Angen 2000)
‘Confirmability’ rather than ‘objectivity’ in establishing value of data (Creswell 2013)
Member checks / peer debriefing (Lincoln and Guba 1985)
Research Ethics
Informed by: SAI ‘Ethical Guidelines’, BSA ‘Statement of Ethical Practice 2002’, BERA
‘Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research2011’, UL Ethical Guidelines
Professional Integrity (BSA 2002);
Respect for: ‘the person, knowledge, democratic values, quality of ed. research and
academic freedom’ (BERA 2011, p. 4);
Voluntary informed consent;
Openness and disclosure , right to withdraw - Anonymity / confidentiality;
Beneficence / maleficence (Cohen & Manion 2011);
Participant validation / clearance.
‘Ethics is never done’ – Ethics really begins with fieldwork
Timeframe for completion
•Ethics CLearance
•Further research on Lit. Review, concepts/theories – data gathering/analysis design
Jan –Sept 2015
• Pilot Project
• Stakeholders’ interviews
Sept –Dec 2015
Field Research
Jan –Jun 2016
• Data analysis
• Writing up
Jul –
Sept
2017
Journey to date… Completion of the 10 taught modules (B1 average);
Collection of 4 ECTS Credits:
Attendance at Doctoral Workshops (Ethics – Mixed Methods)
CSTAR courses (research design and data analysis - NVivo)
Poster Presentation at Winter School 2013
Attendance at the Sociology Department Winter School (Jan. 2015) –
Qualitative Stream (2 weeks + assignment = 10 ECTS)
And future plans… Present at Irish Conferences and submit papers (RCEPP, Mary I, Race,
ethnicity and Education, Irish Educational Studies)
More training on Nvivo and other relevant tools.
References and Bibliography
ATHEIST IRELAND (2014) ‘EDUCATE TOGETHER IS UNDERMINING THE DUTY OF THE IRISH STATE TO PROVIDE NON-DENOMINATIONAL SCHOOLS’, [ONLINE], AVAILABLE: http://atheist.ie/2014/08/educate-together-is-undermining-the-duty-of-the-irish-state-to-provide-non-denominational-schools/, [ACCESSED 10 OCTOBER 2014].
BAGGINI, J. (2003) ATHEISM: A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION, OXFORD: OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.
Central Statistics Office (2014) Census 2011 [online], available: http://www.cso.ie/en/census/index.html, [accessed: 17 March 2014].
Cohen, L., Manion, L., Morrison, K. (2011) Research Methods in Education, ed.7, London: Routledge.
Coolahan, J., Hussey, C., Kilfeather, F. (2012) The Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector: Report of the Forum’s Advisory Group’ [online], available: http://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Conferences/Patronage-and-Pluralism-in-the-Primary-Sector/The-Forum-on-Patronage-and-Pluralism-in-the-Primary-Sector-Report-of-the-Forums-Advisory-Group.pdf [accessed 15 Dec 2013].
Constitution of Ireland (1937) [online] available: http://www.constitution.org/cons/ireland/constitution_ireland-en.htm [accessed 05 Dec 2013]
Creswell, J.W. (2013) Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design, ed.3, Thousand Oaks California: Sage.
Daly, E. (2009), ‘Religious freedom as a function of power relations: dubious claims on pluralism in the denominational schools debate’ Irish Educational Studies, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 235-251.
Darmody, M., Smyth, E., McCoy, S. (2012), ‘School Sector Variation Among Primary Schools in Ireland’ [online], available: http://www.esri.ie/publications/search_for_a_publication/search_results/index.xml [accessed 03 Dec 2013].
Denzin, N., K., Lincoln, Y., S. (2011) ‘Introduction: The Discipline and Practice of Qualitative Research’, in Denzin, N., K, Lincoln, Y., S., eds., The Sage Handbook Of Qualitative Research, California, Sage Publications, Inc., 1 – 32.
Department of Education (2013), Report on the surveys regarding parental preferences on primary school patronage, [online], available: http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Policy-Reports/Report-on-the-surveys-regarding-parental-preferences-on-primary-school-patronage.pdf , [accessed: 9 April 2014].
Devine, D. (2012) ‘Practising Leadership in newly multi-ethnic schools: tensions in the field?’, British Journal of Sociology of Education, Vol. 34, Issue 3, pp. 392-411.
Educate Together (2014) Our Schools, Our Network, [online], available: http://www.educatetogether.ie/choice, [accessed: 13 November 2014].
Educate Together (2004) Learn Together: An Ethical Education Curriculum for Educate Together Schools, Dublin, Educate Together.
Education Act 1998, No.51/1998, s.15, Dublin: Stationery Office.
Continued…. ETIENNE, R., TOZZI, P., VERKEST, H. (2009), EDUCATIONAL POLICIES THAT ADDRESS SOCIAL INEQUALITY, THEMATIC REPORT : RELIGIOUS MINORITIES, [ONLINE], AVAILABLE :
http://www.epasi.eu/ThematicReportREL.pdf, [ACCESSED: 20 OCTOBER 2014).
Fischer, K (2010) ‘Les « sans religion » en République d’Irlande : une « communauté » invisible ?’, Identités et cultures minoritaires dans l’aire anglophone –Entre ‘visibilité et invisibilité, Lucienne Germain et al. L’Harmattan, pp. 131-146.
Fischer, K. (2011) Ecole et religion: Hiérarchies identitaires et égalité citoyenne en République d’Irlande, Presses universitaires de Caen : Caen.
Hickey, T. (2012) ‘A though experiment for Ruairi Quinn’ [online], available: http://humanrights.ie/children-and-the-law/a-thought-experiment-for-ruairi-quinn/ [accessed 19 Dec 2013].
HUMANIST ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND (2009), EQUALITY FOR THE NON-RELIGIOUS, [ONLINE], AVAILABLE: HTTP://HUMANISM.IE/WP-CONTENT/UPLOADS/2013/03/EQUALITYFORNON-RELIGIOUSPAMPHLET.PDF , [ACCESSED: 7 NOVEMBER 2014].
LYNCH & LODGE (2002) EQUALITY AND POWER IN SCHOOLS, LONDON: ROUTLEDGE.
Mawhinney, A. (2007) ‘Freedom of Religion in the Irish primary school system: a failure to protect human rights?’, Legal Studies, Vol. 27, No. 3, September, pp. 379-403.
McGLynn, C. (2009) ‘Integrating education: Parekhnian multiculturalism and good practice’, Intercultural Education, Vol. 20, Issue 4, pp. 299-310.
MC NAMARA, G., MULCAHY, C., O’HARA, J. (2012) ‘THE LEARN TOGETHER CURRICULUM IN 2012 : FIT FOR PURPOSE ?’, DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY.
Mottier, V. (2005) ‘The interpretive turn: History, Memory, and Storage in Qualitative Research, FQS, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 1-9.
NCCA (1999) PRIMARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM: AN INTRODUCTION, [ONLINE], AVAILABLE: http://www.ncca.ie/uploadedfiles/curriculum/intro_eng.pdf, [ACCESSED 10 NOVEMBER 2014].
NCCA (2005) INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL, [ONLINE], AVAILABLE: http://www.ncca.ie/uploadedfiles/publications/intercultural.pdf, [ACCESSED 29 FEBRUARY 2015].
Pillow, W., S. (2003) ‘Confession, catharsis, or cure? Rethinking the uses of reflexivity as methodological power in qualitative research’, Qualitative Studies in Education, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 175-196.
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Thank you!