‘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
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Accomodation and Representation of non-religious views in Irish Education
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‘The Accommodation and Representation of ‘Non-Religious’
views in Irish Primary Education, with particular reference to a
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
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]
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.
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.
Thomas, G. (2009) How to do your research Project, London: Sage.
Wellington, J. (2000) Educational Research: Contemporary Issues and Practical Approaches, London: Continuum.