In Ireland, the provision of behavior support services has developed following the introduction of Health Information and Quality Authority (2013) standards and the regulation of Positive Behavior Support (PBS) under the Health Act (2007). The purpose of this study was to explore what factors facilitate and act as barriers to implementation of…

Despite the clear and obvious need for adults to be proficient in numeracy, international studies suggest that many continue to struggle in this area. In Ireland, one of the main challenges continues to be the availability of effective adult numeracy education. This is a diverse sector, and little is known about the varied provision of adult…

Irish children's physical activity (PA) levels are below national guidelines. Schools are an ideal setting to promote PA but it remains challenging. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a step-back approach to Project Spraoi (PS); a facilitator (Energizer) led school-based PA intervention. Each Energizer in year one had 2 contact days per…

The benefits of STEAM, a transdisciplinary approach incorporating the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts and maths, for engaging learners, has been recognised internationally and increasingly forms part of educational policies both in Ireland and internationally. Although previous studies have demonstrated an increase in educator…

This qualitative phenomenological study investigates international instructors' perspectives and experiences in designing a successful language-based massive open online course (L-MOOC). Detailed information was gathered during Summer 2018 about the instructor's challenges and strategies through semi-structured interviews with seven participants…

Adult Education in the Republic of Ireland has experienced exponential change. Since 2013, the Further Education and Training (FET) sector has developed and implemented a range of strategies and policies transforming the landscape. Policy implementation is a complex process and as the 16 Education and Training Boards work to interpret FET policy…

Implementation is the carrying out of planned, intentional activities that aim to turn evidence and ideas into policies and practices that work for people in the real world--the "how" as well as the "what" (Centre for Effective Services, 2022). Whilst partnership, relationship and trust often feature in implementation, until…

This paper analyses the language educator's experience of delivering an Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP) in an Irish University. It uses a focus group to explore the experiences of six International Language Tutors who delivered modules on a pilot IWLP between 2021 and 2024. The findings indicate that designing and delivering the…

Background: Key Word Signing (KWS) is one system that can be used to support the communication needs of children with Down syndrome (DS) who attend mainstream school. The success of KWS in schools is mediated by staff experiences and perceptions of KWS. The current study is one of the first to explore KWS use in mainstream schools. Aims: To…

Environmental Education (EE) remains marginalised in Irish primary schools despite its formal inclusion in the curriculum. This study investigates the barriers to EE integration and explores how Universal Design for Learning (UDL)-based Science Festival events can support teachers and students in overcoming these challenges. Survey and interview…

Qualifications frameworks are tools for describing qualifications of an education or training system by classifying them into levels. Each level provides a clear description of what the holder of a qualification knows, understands and is able to do. They are important tools for making qualifications transparent and comprehensible, within and…

The importance of school self-evaluation (SSE) as a school improvement mechanism has been acknowledged by increases in the number of countries with legal requirements for schools to conduct self-evaluation. Despite the provision of a range of support to schools to encourage their engagement with SSE, many implementation challenges have been…

Trinity Access (TA) is a post-primary initiative, in the authors' university, that offers programmes for students, teachers and schools in areas of socio-economic disadvantage. The aims of the programme include helping students develop the knowledge, networks and skills needed to make informed decisions about future educational opportunities, and…

Conceptualized as open educational resources (OER) in 2002, the field has a relatively short history. During this period, there have been some significant developments, including the availability of more resources and research publications (including literature reviews) in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. This review of reviews adopted a…

This paper documents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an online learning community (OLC), within the Republic of Ireland, which set out to support student teachers in a hybrid space during their school placement experience. Guided by qualitative research, data collection methods included interviews and analysis of students' forum…