Education - Doctoral Theses

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    Pedagogy of the interior: awakening beauty through encounter
    (University College Cork, 0023) Moylan, Anne Marie; Hall, Kathy; Fleming, Domnall
    Leadership sustainability and professional development is the focus of this qualitative constructivist research. Reform of the leadership role is proposed through the new pedagogy of the interior, devised to effect intrinsic transformation and leadership actualisation. It is crucial that school leaders re-imagine an untenable role that has been expanding exponentially for decades in terms of task, responsibility, and complexity. The pedagogy awakens the beauty of a new way of thinking, being and learning, achieved through encounter from the inside-out and bottom-up personal and interpersonal layers of the school community. The research evaluates the progression and beneficence of an embodied pedagogy of the interior and interrogates the psychological barriers of perfectionism and hegemony that restrict growth and change. The scholarly personal narrative methodology (Nash, 2011) comprises a cathartic journey of subjective reflexivity, meaning-making, and renewal. It is a befitting and rigorous methodology for encounter with theory, research, and leadership experience. It affords scope for the supplementary epistemologies of self-study and action research employed to deepen learning. It employs reflexive thematic analysis and crystallisation techniques of analysis through the media of arts. It accounts for the roots and trajectory of an embodied pedagogy of the interior, an essential complementary component of the Irish Primary Principal’s Network (2022) sustainable leadership project. Research finds i) how existing knowledge, experience and skillsets for restorative practice and nonviolent communication (Rosenberg, 2015) form the bedrock for systemic habitual encountering, ii) how philosophy of encounter and disruption creates aptitude for complexity, iii) how psychoeducation and self-understanding demystifies unconscious beliefs and practices that hinder the awakening of beauty. In conclusion, the research reveals the pedagogy of the interior to be transformative and emancipatory. It cultivates a skillset for critical thinking and dialogue and illuminates the source of power. It reinstates inner peace, outer harmony, autonomy, and agency. It deserves a prominent place in professional development. I attest that the personification of the leadership dilemma is an academic gap and a portal to the reconfiguration of professional identity.
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    Investigating the relationship between perceived motor competence and actual motor competence in adolescent youth
    (University College Cork, 2022-10-05) Philpott, Conor Timothy; O'Brien, Wesley; Chambers, Fiona; Belton, Sarahjane
    Background: Research across the globe has highlighted that adolescents are lacking proficiency in fundamental movement skills (FMS) and functional movement patterns, i.e. in their actual motor competence (AMC). Additionally, research in the domain of self-perceptions illustrates that adolescents possess inordinate levels of perceived motor competence (PMC) relative to their low level of actual ability. Evaluating the role of the school community (i.e. physical education class and other classroom settings) in the development of AMC and realistic self-perceptions is key, as they form essential facets to growth in these areas. This PhD research encompassed three phases. The first phase saw the gathering of cross-sectional baseline motor competence data on adolescent youth by sex and school year (i.e. grade) across the first three years (Junior Cycle) of post-primary education. The second phase formed part of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to examine and evaluate an eight-week multi-component, school-based motor competence intervention entitled Project FLAME (Fundamental and Functional Literacy for Activity and Movement Efficiency), and its role in improving the alignment between PMC and AMC among youth. A third phase of this research comprised of a validity and reliability study to gauge the utility of a tool (utilised in phase one and two) to assess PMC data among adolescent youth. Methods: Phases one and two (baseline and RCT) recorded data among adolescents (phase one: N = 373; mean age: 14.38 ± 0.87 years; phase two: N= 324; mean age= 14.5 ± 0.88 years), in six schools (two all-male, two all-female, and two mixed-sex). In both phases, the primary outcomes measures involved 10 FMS (locomotor, object-control, and stability subsets) assessed through established measures the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 and the Get Skilled Get Active resource, in addition to 7 movements from the Functional Movement ScreenTM (FMS™). Perceived Motor competence was assessed using the Project FLAME Perceived Movement Competence Tool (PF-PMC) and the perceived functional motor competence tool. The Project FLAME intervention was structured around four components, the (i) Teacher component, (ii) Student component, (iii) Whole-School component and (iv) Digital component. Multi-level regression models were used to assess the effect of the intervention for improving the alignment between PMC and FMS. Age and sex were controlled for during these analyses, with interaction effects for the intervention and time assessed. The phase three reliability and validity study (N = 147; mean age: 13.61 ± .93 years) recruited participants from three second-level schools (one all-male, one all-female, and one mixed-sex) for a seven-day test-retest reliability assessment of the PF-PMC and concurrent validity which compared the PF-PMC with the pictorial scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence (PMSC). Results: Results from baseline data indicated that fundamental and functional movement proficiency remained low, with high levels of self-perception not reflective of AMC. Pre-Post-intervention data following the Project FLAME intervention trial observed no significant effect for the intervention on alignment between PMC and AMC, however a small significant relationship between PMC and AMC remained (β = .23, p < .001). Phase three reported strong concurrent validity between the PF-PMC and PMSC (r = 0.83, p<.001), in addition to excellent internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. Discussion: The findings from phase one demonstrate the necessity for movement-oriented interventions in adolescent youth. Though prior research under the Project FLAME remit has previously demonstrated an ability to improve AMC in youth across 8-weeks, phase two indicates that an increase in the number of sessions may be needed to provoke greater alignment between PMC and AMC. Phase three illustrates that the PF-PMC is fit for use, though additional research for construct validity may be needed.
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    From the heart of Islam to an Irish campus: a critical analysis of twelve male Saudi Arabian students’ experiences on the King Abdullah Scholarship Programme
    (University College Cork, 2023-05-05) Walsh Kiely, Helena; Dowling, Siobhan; Rutherford, Vanessa
    This doctoral study interprets the lived experience of Saudi Arabian students on the King Abdullah Scholarship Programme (KASP) over a period of five years. The study interprets the students’ experiences while they are physically distanced from the temporal-cultural forces which define a strongly collectivist identity. They are also physically distanced from the geo-political might of Saudi Arabia and from Sharīʿah law. The purpose of the research is to investigate a phenomenon of identity change. No other study deals with the phenomenology of the KASP experience. Existing research is largely qualitative, but rarely goes beyond evaluating the programme through a pedagogical or economic lens. There is also no available data on the reflexive experience of lecturers on KASP. The study has added significance in that it is the first and only research on KASP anywhere in Ireland, despite Ireland’s participation in the programme. The methods used are ethnographic, using art-based research in the form of photo-elicitation. Data is gathered through semi-structured interviews, emailed questionnaires, and purposeful journaling. The theoretical framework defines the key concepts, and the study is strongly influenced throughout by the philosophical tenets of interpretative phenomenological analysis where interpreting both my own and the students’ transformative journeys is at the centre of the humanistic level of this research. Patterns and themes in the data are identified using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis, where six findings measure the impact of the scholarship programme on the students. Findings on the students’ self-identification are separated into two areas: firstly, consciously maintaining the structural functional assumption of how Saudi society ‘is’ and, secondly, new ideas and values stimulated by critical consciousness. Analysis of the findings on the efficacy of the programme’s acculturation strategy, combined with the reflexive analysis, will call for a raised awareness of all student mobility programmes in Ireland, the impact of student mobility on identity, and the role campuses play in the internationalisation of education.
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    Perspectives on digital learning among leaders of learning and teaching with technology in higher education institutions
    (University College Cork, 2021) Curtin, Catriona Celeste; Hall, Kathy; Delahunty, Thomas; University College Cork
    Globally, HEIs are integrating virtual technologies often with a dual goal of improving efficiencies and enriching learning experiences. Yet, despite these aims, the latter has been less successful. Technology usage for pedagogy is commonly formative as opposed to transformative. While there are approaches to learning with technology that potentially effect meaningful learning experiences, pedagogy is complex. This complexity is further compounded when technology becomes part of the learning experience. For instance, how pedagogy in enacted within virtual environments can differ from face-to-face supported learning. There is a need for a faculty voice when it comes to learning with technology, particularly pedagogues experienced in digital learning. This empirical study, through a series of qualitative interviews, explores HE digital leaders, perspectives, experiences, and understandings of learning with technology. Four themes are identified as result of the data analysis. Firstly, learning with technology is naturalised into HE learning cultures. This renders the nomenclature of blended or digital learning outdated and inappropriate. Secondly, how technology is naturalised into HE cultures differs as it is shaped by distinct disciplinary cultures, and learners who differ in their respective needs. Thirdly, technology is an enabler of meaningful assessment as a form of learning, that is formative and dependent upon collaboration. Lastly, faculty development is critical to effective technology integration. This study contributes to the knowledge about technology-based learning in a number of ways. Findings show that technology and pedagogy need to be considered together and not as separate entities. Most significantly in this relationship between pedagogy and technology, findings foreground the importance of pedagogy and instrumentalise technology as a means to the core purpose, which is learning. Moreover, pedagogy and technology are dynamic as they are shaped by people whose learning requirements differ. The research shows that all HE stakeholders need to recognise the connection between technology and pedagogy and adapt their practices to facilitate learning with technology. Taken together, these findings have important implications for practice and policy.
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    The design, development, implementation and evaluation of Project FLAME: a multi-component, school-based, motor competence intervention for adolescent youth in Ireland
    (University College Cork, 2020) Lester, Diarmuid; O'Brien, Wesley; Chambers, Fiona
    Background: Recent research has shown that Irish adolescent youth are insufficiently active and fail to reach basic levels of fundamental movement skills (FMS) and functional movement. Schools and the engagement of relevant stakeholders, particularly qualified Physical Education (PE) specialist teachers, are key vehicles for the provision of movement-based opportunities in youth. The purpose of the first phase of this research was to gather cross-sectional data on adolescent youth, differentiated by gender and grade across the first three years (Junior Cycle) of post-primary education, specifically to inform the development a multi-component, school-based motor competence intervention entitled Project FLAME (Fundamental and Functional Literacy for Activity and Movement Efficiency). The second phase of the research aimed to evaluate if Project FLAME can improve FMS and functional movement in adolescent youth. Methods: Cross-sectional data, as part of the first phase of the research, were collected on adolescents (N = 219; mean age: 14.45 ± 0.96 years), within two, mixed gender schools. Primary outcome measures were consistent in both phases of the research and included the assessment of ten FMS (including locomotor and object control subsets) in conjunction with the observable, behavioural components from three established testing batteries, namely the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD), TGMD-2, and the Get Skilled: Get Active manual, as well as the seven tests within the Functional Movement Screen (FMS™). The Project FLAME intervention included four major components, specifically the i) specialist Physical Education (PE) teacher component, ii) kinaesthetic classroom component, iii) student component and iv) digital literacy component. Using a non-randomized controlled trial as part of the second phase of the research, a target sample of 363 participants (56% male, mean age: 14.04 ± 0.89 years old) were recruited from three mixed-gender, sub-urban schools (two intervention; one control) in Cork, Ireland, for baseline data collection, followed by a 13-week consecutive intervention roll out, and post-test data collection. Linear mixed models were used to assess the effect of the intervention with two main effects, treatment and time, and their interaction. Analyses were adjusted for participants’ gender, age, grade and BMI score. Results: Based on the results from the cross-sectional data, levels of actual mastery within FMS and functional movement were low, with significant gender and age-related differences observed. Following the implementation of the Project FLAME non-randomized controlled trial, significant intervention effects across time were observed, with the greatest improvements evident for overall gross FMS (p = .002). Discussion: Findings from the first phase of the research suggested that developing a multi-component, school-based intervention was a strategic step that could improve the observed low levels of adolescent FMS and functional movement. The Project FLAME intervention was successful at improving adolescent overall FMS gross motor competence, resulting in significant treatment-time interactions. A whole-school approach emphasising FMS and functional movement, which include developmentally appropriate activities, and the concurrent involvement of specialist PE, and non-specialist PE teachers appears effective for developing motor competence in adolescent youth.