CARL Research Reports 2017
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Item An analysis of people’s behaviours and attitudes to food consumption and waste in the Cork region(Community-Academic Research Links, University College Cork, 2017-09-10) Sweeney, Michelle; O’Farrell, Ronan; Stop Food Waste Challenge; Civil Society OrganizationThere is now more than ever before an emphasis on the amount of food we eat as consumers and the amount of food that is wasted in the process. This is an emerging and important topic in food business and development and therefore the topic meets the criteria for research. The covered topics in this research include what food waste is, why we need to reduce food waste, the main trends that influence food waste and effects food waste has on the environment. It will also cover the development of food waste policies in other countries, the results of research carried out and conclusions and recommendations. These areas give an overview of people’s behaviours and attitudes to food waste and consumption.Item Students with epilepsy, their experiences in school and with State exams(Community-Academic Research Links, University College Cork, 2017-03-28) Cooke, Sarah; Kenny, Lorna; Epilepsy Ireland; Civil Society OrganizationThis study will carry out research into the lives of students with epilepsy in relation to their school, learning experiences and state exams. This study is relevant as epilepsy is a very common condition, 1 in 115 people have epilepsy which is over 37,000 people in Ireland (Epilepsy Ireland, 2017). Most people have their first seizure before the age of 20, so many children of schooling age are affected by the condition. Research conducted by Thompson (1987) indicated that children with epilepsy are also at a significant risk of developing learning difficulties, with problems occurring in between 5-50% of such children. School can be a struggle for students with epilepsy who are experiencing seizures and therefore resulting in disruptions in their school days. Even a single seizure in a day can cause memory loss and they can often forget what they just learned. Learning problems can sometimes emerge due to seizures or medication which may cause a child to fall behind in school. A student’s memory, concentration and attention can be affected. Epilepsy can also cause students to miss days of school due to hospital visits or night time seizures.Item Friendly Call Cork – an exploration of befriending services in addressing loneliness and social isolation amongst older adults in Cork(Community-Academic Research Links, University College Cork, 2017-04-13) Lehane, Paul; Dukelow, Fiona; Friendly Call Cork; Civil Society OrganizationThis research project was conducted as part of the Community – Academic Research Links (CARL) Initiative based in University College Cork. CARL allows students to conduct research in collaboration with community and voluntary groups in the local area. Research was carried out on a befriending service named Friendly Call Cork based in Cork City. Friendly Call Cork is a free service which provides befriending phone calls to service users five days a week as well as regular social events.Item Accessing the city: exploring the lived experiences of wheelchair users in Cork city(Community-Academic Research Links, University College Cork, 2017-04-17) O'Donnell, Michael; Dukelow, Fiona; The Cork Centre For Independent Living; Civil Society OrganizationPeople who use wheelchairs regularly encounter physical access barriers while living their everyday lives in the urban environment. Many previous studies have addressed the mechanistic details of creating an accessible environment. However, few studies have addressed the phenomenology of marginalisation and exclusion created through interaction with the built environment and the social world of which it is a product. This study focuses explicitly on the experiences of people who use wheelchairs accessing a built environment which is designed with supposedly ‘able-bodied’ people in mind. In this study, I uncover the power relationships built into the physical environment which serve to marginalise and exclude. I explore how, despite decades of advocacy for a social model, much social policy and legislation around disability still draw from theories of a medical model. I use complimentary participatory and phenomenological methods to carry out this research ‘with’ rather than ‘on’ participants and explore their experiences purely from their own perspective by bracketing my own biases and experiences. I draw five themes from the data which highlight how participant’s experiences of the built environment in Cork city are still predominantly negative despite improvements in recent years. It is evident from the findings that much work still needs to be done to enable people who use wheelchairs to live fully independent lives and be fully included with regards to the built environment. Despite being a small study the findings in this research correspond with the findings of other similar studies. I suggest that more research is needed to explore possible gendered, racial and ethnic dimensions to this phenomenon. I also suggest that further research could focus on the experience of other groups encountering access barriers such as people with visual or other sensory impairments, older people and their experiences and to explore whether the experiences of these groups are comparatively similar or very different to those of people who use wheelchairs.Item An exploration of the outdoor play experiences of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder(Community-Academic Research Links, University College Cork, 2017-05-12) Blake, Áine; Sexton, Julie; Lynch, Helen; COPE Foundation; Civil Society OrganizationBackground: Outdoor play is seen as a crucial and valuable experience for all children. It is not an optional extra, but an essential component of a child’s everyday life and environment. Nonetheless, the literature consistently demonstrates that children with disabilities participate less in outdoor play in comparison to their typically developing peers. However, little research exists with regards to the play experiences of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in outdoor play. Thus, establishing the outdoor play experiences of children with ASD is of utmost importance. Aims: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and understand the outdoor play experiences of preschool children with ASD, as a means to better understand what play meant to them, how they experienced play, and to identify the supports required to facilitate their participation in outdoor play in their preschool setting. Participants: Seventeen participants informed the findings of this study: six children in a special ASD class, five mothers, and six members of preschool staff. Materials and Methods: A qualitative methodology was used. The study employed a multi-method approach combining one focus group, semi-structured interviews, playground observations, and projective techniques. First-person perspectives of the children were sought, a rarity in research, that their voices might further illuminate their needs. Findings: Three core themes emerged: features of play (freedom to do my thing, being with others), opportunities for play (what is available, when it is available, why it is available), and power of play (how I feel about play, what play does to me). Conclusion: The findings of this study support the premise that outdoor play is important to children with ASD, and necessary and valuable for them. In this study, outdoor play was highly valued by all participants and strongly supported by teachers and parents. The children with ASD had varied outdoor play experiences relating to affordances at school and home, including social, sensory and physical dimensions. While the children experienced challenges to their play, particularly in social domains, the outdoor context provided unique opportunities for these to be addressed and explored.