91��Ƭ��

Charting our Misaligned Future: Deconstructing the ‘othering’ of Primary Teachers in Irish Arts Education Policy

Project Summary
The practice of artists working in schools as part of arts-in-education programmes has become a key feature of Irish arts education policy in primary schools over the last two decades. However, there has not yet been a focussed analysis of the policy narratives which underpin this practice and the positioning of primary teachers within it. This research addresses this gap by deconstructing the language of key ‘arts-in-education’ policy texts and programmes of recent years and highlighting how they may have contributed to the ‘othering’ of primary teachers in arts-in-education practice and the provision of primary arts education more broadly.

Contact: Ailbhe Curran, Email: Ailbhe.Curran@mic.ul.ie

Supervisors: Dr Dorothy Morrissey, Dr Ailbhe Kenny

Inclusive Special Music Education: Mapping the Role of Assistive Digital Technologies in Enhancing Provision and Practice in Irish schools

Project Summary
The role of this project is to map inclusive special music education provision and practices in Ireland and to test adaptive/assistive technologies for inclusive music learning and teaching.  It aims to test music-making approaches using accessible equipment, assistive and digital technologies, and adaptive instruments in order to deepen understanding and knowledge in this under-researched field in Irish music education. The project seeks to address this research gap by: a) Mapping the field of policy in inclusive music education; b) Testing state of the art adaptive digital musical instruments (ADMIs) and inclusive pedagogies; b) Investigating how digital technologies can reshape societal attitudes towards disability and accessibility in music education and d) Designing digital toolkits and open-access resources for learners and teachers in primary, special and post-primary school contexts. The benefits of such a project could give agency, advocacy and ability to all those typically live with barriers to inclusion.  In summary, the project aims to provide a robust evidence base for inclusive music education practice in Ireland.

Contact: June Robbins, Email: June.Robbins@mic.ul.ie

Supervisors: Prof. Gwen Moore

An investigation into how a Community of Practice Approach to Teacher Professional Learning can Potentially Enable and Support Teachers to Explore Integrated Arts in Irish Primary Schools

Project Summary
Integrated Arts is a key feature of the revised Irish primary arts curriculum (NCCA, 2025). Although many studies have looked at the use of teacher communities (CoPs and PLCs mainly), a gap focused on the use of a CoP for teacher professional learning in the area of integrated arts education in the Irish context still exists. We currently know very little about what supports teachers need to help them explore integrated arts in light of recent curricular changes. Therefore, this research seeks to investigate whether an intentionally created CoP for a group of teachers who teach in various schools in a particular urban area in Dublin, could have the potential to act as successful professional learning to enhance the provision of arts education and integrated arts in Irish primary schools. A action research project in design, this researcher will use a qualitative and arts-based methods approach. Data will be collected using semi-structured interviews, video recordings of CoP meetings, artwork produced during the CoP in various art forms, researcher photographs and a/r/tography journals, focusing on the teachers' identities as artists, researchers and teachers.

Contact: Ruth Nic An Bhreithiúnaigh

Supervisors: Dr Ailbhe Kenny

Unveiling Lived Realities in Primary Physical Education’: An Interpretive Thematic Exploration of the GAA Coaching in Schools’ Scheme through a Multi-stakeholder Perspective

Project Summary
This study explores the lived realities of the GAA Coaching in Schools Scheme within primary physical education, incorporating perspectives from teachers, coaches and policymakers. Through interpretive thematic analysis, the research is framed by ecological systems perspectives, situating stakeholders experiences across interconnected levels of influence and highlighting implications for practice, policy, and provision. This project goals align with those of the new Wellbeing Curriculum and aims at providing a framework for effective, meaningful PE partnerships.

Contact: Brian Doyle, Email: Brian.Boyle@mic.ul.ie

Supervisors: Dr Richard Bowles, Dr Michelle Dillon

Life Skills in Primary PE: Teachers' and Children's Experiences

Project Summary
This qualitative study explores how life skills (e.g. teamwork, communication, social skills, decision making, goal setting and resilience) are taught and experienced in primary Physical Education (PE) in Ireland. Grounded in curriculum and life-skills literature, the research investigates how teachers explicitly teach life skills in PE, how children experience this learning, and how skill transfer to other curriculum areas is promoted. Participants include 5–6 teachers and children from 3rd–5th class across 2–4 primary schools. Teachers will engage in a 15-week professional learning community supported by interviews, reflective diaries, and focus groups. Children’s perspectives are captured through life-skills booklets and focus groups, providing rich insights into pedagogical practice and lived experiences which will hopefully add to the effective implementation of the new wellbeing curriculum.

Contact: Oisín Ryan, Email: Oisin.Ryan@mic.ul.ie

Supervisors: Prof. Déirdre Ní Chróinín, Lorcan Cronin