Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Advocates Of The Peace, A Qualitative Study Of Former Politically Motivated Female Prisoners And Conflict Resolution In Northern Ireland, Mary Mccourt

Dissertations

The Good Friday Agreement is extensively recognised and acknowledged as a successful model of conflict resolution. Prior to its implementation and in the aftermath of the agreement, former politically motivated female prisoners have been instrumental in securing support for the agreement and also sustaining the agreement in the grassroots communities in Northern Ireland. This study explores the roles in which former politically motivated female prisoners have undertaken in micro levels of conflict resolution and presents a gendered perspective of conflict resolution. Findings within this study reveal the grassroots activities of participants, which is aligned with preventing violence within interface communities …

Creating, Sharing And Reusing Learning Objects To Enhance Information Literacy, Philip Russell, Gerard Ryder, Gillian Kerins, Margaret Phelan

Articles

From June 2010 until the present, a suite of online reusable learning objects (RLOs) has been created by staff at the Technological University Dublin (ITT Dublin) library covering a range of information literacy (IL) competencies. These RLOs have helped to facilitate student transition from second to third level, advance IL and enrich the student learning experience. The purpose of this paper is to outline the development of these RLOs and how the resources have been shared, reused and repurposed to enhance IL progression. A review of recent literature explores some of the key issues around the creation of digital learning …

Skills Needs Of The Ict Sector In Tanzania, Deirdre Lillis, Fredrick Mtenzi, Diana Mauricaite, Said Jafari, Peter Manifold

Reports

Information and Communication Technology will play a critical role in sustaining the high growth rates experienced by African economies in the last decade. Investment in the ICT sector enables the creation of high quality jobs and acts as an enabling technology for other key industries such as agriculture, mining, finance, health and education. ‘New Software Economy’ models mean international location and company scale are less relevant and enable small organisations to compete globally in niche markets. Unlike many traditional industries which have heavy infrastructure requirements, the key resource of the ICT Sector is its people and the knowledge, skills and …

How Foreign Firms Transformed Ireland’S Domestic Economy, Paul Donnelly

Articles

Today, Ireland is host to 1,033 multinational corporations. They directly employ 152,785 and account for 70 per cent or €122.5bn of exports. It’s a story that has its roots in the 1940s.

Pathologies In International Policy Transfer: The Case Of The Oecd Tax Transparency Initiative, Richard Eccleston, Richard Woodward

Articles

The importance of international organizations to the development and diffusion of international policy norms is widely recognized but is increasingly tempered by an appreciation of the pathologies of policy transfer. Using a case study of the OECD’s campaign to promote transparency in global tax affairs, this paper identifies a new and relatively distinctive form of dysfunctional policy transfer. Specifically it argues that international organizations face bureaucratic incentives to promote weak or lowest common denominator standards in order to maximize their prospects of brokering successful international agreements. However the paper also notes that while international organizations may have a short-term interest …

Saint Patrick's Way: A North-South Camino, Anto Kerins

Reports / Surveys

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar, TD, has set up a review of tourism policy and requested submissions from stakeholders (see Appendix 1 and 2). This submission proposes that the government should encourage the planning, design and development of a North-South Saint Patrick Way pilgrim walk, similar to the Camino in Spain, in partnership with the relevant Northern Ireland authorities. This development will make an important impact in economic and tourism terms, but also in other ways. The submission outlines the relationship between tourism and pilgrimage and discusses the international ‘gold standard’ of pilgrim walks, the Camino …

Enhancing The Academic And Social Learning Of Irish Undergraduates Through Emotional And Social Skills Development., Aiden Carthy, Celesta Mccann, Sinead Mcgilloway, Colm Mcguinness

Articles

This paper considers the potential merits of emotional competency coaching for undergraduate students. We outline the findings from our previous work which showed, for example, that a sample of First Year undergraduate students failed to engage with coaching primarily because it was not a mandatory aspect of the curricula. An analysis of the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) - which details the specific learning outcomes that must be achieved by all Irish academic syllabi found that this framework makes scant reference to the development of social and emotional skills. Therefore, a revised working model of the NFQ is proposed, which …

The Irish Information Literacy Project: The Gradual Building Of A National Policy For Information Literacy, Philip Russell, Jerald Cavanagh Lit

Conference Papers

In recent years, the Republic of Ireland has witnessed a growth in information literacy (IL), with its importance recognised in independent and lifelong learning; there have also been some key developments which have helped to raise the profile of IL and facilitated a more coherent national approach to IL development (O’Brien & Russell, 2012). Despite this progress, there is a lack of an integrated approach for information literacy development and there still exists no unified national strategy for IL, either sectorally or cross-sectorally and IL “has not been recognised as such at the highest political level [in] Ireland” (Webber & …

Formations Of The Sikh Community In Ireland, Satwinder Singh

Masters

This dissertation examines the formation of the Sikh community in Ireland by providing a brief historical account of the migration of Sikhs to Ireland, as well as by offering a discussion of the key challenges faced in Ireland by Sikh migrants along with their responses to these particular socio-cultural and political contexts in attempting to forge a ‘community’ in Ireland. The research draws extensively upon an oral history and photography project entitled A Sikh Face in Ireland that was commissioned by, and carried out through, the Forum on Migration and Communications (FOMACS) between 2007-2010. The interviews I conducted during this …

Study Of The Potential Of Educational Transfer From Grandchild To Grandparent, From The Child's Perspective And Agency, In A School Environment, Ken King

Dissertations

This research acknowledges the ability of children to be active in their own learning and could promote opportunities for life-long and life-wide learning by offering school-based Intergenerational Learning Programmes. The main aim of this study was to develop a pilot intergenerational lesson with children, aged 10 to 12 years old, to enable the educational transfer of knowledge and skills from children to their grandparents or other older people in a school setting. Using the Irish Primary School‘s SPHE Curriculum as a source, the project-based research was informed, firstly, by the theories of Piaget, Vygotsky and Rogoff, and secondly, by the …

Mobile 2d And 3d Spatial Query Techniques For The Geospatial Web, Junjun Yin

Doctoral

The increasing availability of abundant geographically referenced information in the Geospatial Web provides a variety of opportunities for developing value-added LBS applications. However, large data volumes of the Geospatial Web and small mobile device displays impose a data visualization problem, as the amount of searchable information overwhelms the display when too many query results are returned. Excessive returned results clutter the mobile display, making it harder for users to prioritize information and causes confusion and usability problems. Mobile Spatial Interaction (MSI) research into this “information overload” problem is ongoing where map personalization and other semantic based filtering mechanisms are essential …

Plural Policing: The Multifaceted World Of Irish State “Policing” Authorities, Thomas Talbot

Dissertations

aim of this research was to explore the rather undocumented world of the wider policing community acting in an official capacity on behalf of the Irish state in 2013 and to produce a comprehensive empirical mapping of these governance entities. This group was defined as those operating in a coercive manner at the most extreme end of the social control spectrum and the research therefore focused on those organisations actively prosecuting cases in the Irish courts.

A mixed method design was used to maximise both quantitative and qualitative information. As this mapping exercise was the first of its kind, a …

The Great Epoch: An Exploration Of The Psychology Of Desistance From Offending., Triona O'Sullivan

Dissertations

This research is an exploratory study aimed at examining the psychological processes underlying desistance from offending based on the lived experience of seven ex-offenders. A phenomenological approach was chosen and the research used qualitative semi-structured interviewing in order to collect rich data regarding the self-narratives of participants. Research findings confirmed several themes already prominent in the desistance literature including the importance of psychological maturation, the role of choice, the importance of the individuals’ self concept, the role of ‘making good’ and cognitive change in the area of thought processes and attitudes to offending. In addition several themes emerged which are …

They Just Don't Care About The Caring: Parents Perspectives Of Early Childhood Education And Care Policy And Associated Funding Programmes, Tracey Nelson

Dissertations

This research aimed to investigate parents’ perspectives on early childhood care and education (ECEC) policy in Ireland and the associated funding programmes available to them. A qualitative research approach was adopted, using semi-structured interviews and a focus group as a research tool to gain an insight into the experiences of families regarding ECEC. Parents availing of current ECEC funding programmes and grandparents who care for their grandchildren were identified as a representative sub group of the research population.

Key findings suggest families are invisible in ECEC funding policy despite their fundamental role as co-educators in their child’s learning. Another key …

Mobile 2d And 3d Spatial Query Techniques For The Geospatial Web, Junjun Yin

Doctoral

The increasing availability of abundant geographically referenced information in the Geospatial Web provides a variety of opportunities for developing value-added LBS applications. However, large data volumes of the Geospatial Web and small mobile device displays impose a data visualization problem, as the amount of searchable information overwhelms the display when too many query results are returned. Excessive returned results clutter the mobile display, making it harder for users to prioritize information and causes confusion and usability problems. Mobile Spatial Interaction (MSI) research into this “information overload” problem is ongoing where map personalization and other semantic based filtering mechanisms are essential …

The New Ruins Of North Cyprus, Jim Roche

Articles

This article is a critical commentary on the speculative physical development that occurred in North Cyprus in the period following the defeat of the Kofi Annan Plan (2004) for a political settlement for the islanders.

The rejection of the Annan V Plan by Greek Cypriot voters, and its acceptance by Turkish Cypriots, was interpreted and manipulated by certain political forces and vested interests in the TRNC as a carte blanche to ‘improve’ by development, property with Greek Cypriot title deeds. After the failed referendum the physical development of North Cyprus escalated at a gigantic rate. According to one ex-patriot: “In …

What Stick Figures Tell Us About Irish Politics, Sharon Feeney, John Hogan, Paul F. Donnelly

Conference papers

This paper forms part of an ongoing research project using the technique of freehand drawing to study how students entering university in Ireland perceive the state of Irish politics and the wider society. By sidestepping the cognitive verbal processing routes through the use of freehand drawing, we find that students tend to present a more holistic, integrated and clearer understanding of the pertinent issues from their perspective.

Rapid Change Without Transformation: The Dominance Of A National Policy Paradigm Over International Influences On Ecec Development In Ireland 1995-2012, Noirin Hayes, Bernie O'Donoghue Hynes, Toby Wolfe

Articles

The rapidity of change in Irish early childhood policy over the last 20 years is clear to observers (OECD 2004). What may be debated is how significant the changes are. In this paper, we analyse changes in early childhood education and care policy in Ireland since 1995, using Hall’s (1993) typology of policy change to help understand how policies and institutions could change so much in appearance without changing their fundamental features or underlying philosophy. We demonstrate that, despite extensive change, a traditional policy paradigm has held constant, where the State’s role in direct service delivery remains limited, the State …

Feeling A Sense Of Belonging In The Early Childhood Centre: An Exploration Into A Community Of Practice, Antje Bitterberg

Dissertations

This exploration is rooted in the vision of a democratic classroom in which all voices are heard and takes place in an early years setting, or community of practice, in Dublin Ireland. The aim of the study is to explore what it means to belong to this particular community of practice from multiple perspectives. The objective is twofold: to respond to our ethical commitment as teachers, and to explore the sense of belonging in a community of practice. This is a qualitative study conducted in three distinctive stages that build on each other. To start, I immersed myself in the …

Understanding The Emergence Of New Institutional Logics: A Boundary Story, Nicolas Battard, Paul Donnelly, Vincent Mangematin

Conference papers

We contribute to the literature of institutional logics by integrating a complementary view which is of composite boundary. We integrate the physical, social, and mental boundaries that encompass both the material and symbolic aspects of institutions in order to study the institutional change of knowledge – 'Mode 1 vs. 'Mode 2'. We identified three strategies that describe the extent to which scientists engage in this new area. Embracing is characterised by a commitment to the emerging area of nanoscience and nanotechnology at every level of boundary. While the second strategy – adjusting – describes a partial commitment, the third and …

The Impact Of The Arts On Traveller Education; An Exploratory Study, Bernadette Fagan

Masters

The aim of this study was to explore the impact that the Arts, (that is the study of visual art, drama, music, dance, creative writing, film and video expression), have on the educational process within Irish Traveller Educational Centres whose students are widely recognised as the most highly marginalised group within Irish society (Ireland, 1995; MacGreil, 1996; Zappone, 2002). Art programmes appear to induce a ‘flow’ state, as identified by Csikszentmihalyi, that he defines as a state of optimal awareness in which the subject becomes lost in the action of the moment and results in a heightened integration and differentiation …

Towards A Structured Approach To Reading Historic Cookbooks, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

This article discusses the methodology Barbara Ketchum Wheaton uses in her Reading historic Cookbook Seminars in Harvard and elsewhere and discusses from a participants perspective the strenghts of using this methodology to unlock hidden secrets of historic cookbooks.

Bricks & Mortar: Tax Policy Swings To Those Who Rent Homes, Tom Dunne

Articles

A major change in Ireland in recent years has been the rapid fall in home ownership, down from 75pc of households in 2006 to 70pc at present.

This brings Ireland more into line with home ownership rates in the US and UK, lower than those of southern Europe but higher than the prosperous economies of northern Europe where long-term renting is very common.

In the public mind, however, this lower level of owner occupancy is seen as temporary and symptomatic of a distressed economy where buyers have difficulty obtaining mortgages and in any event are content to stand off a …

Building Co-Operation Between Tourism And Culture In The West Of Ireland, Bernadette Quinn, Ziene Mottiar, Theresa Ryan

Conference papers

Redressing regional imbalance is now a key challenge in Ireland. Dublin is the destination of choice for more than two fifths of the market and the number of visitors holidaying outside of the Dublin region has declined significantly between 2003 and 2009. One way of redressing regional imbalance is to harness the tourism potential of the cultural sector. Spread throughout the regions is a wealth of cultural activity and a well developed infrastructure of venues staging vibrant arts activity of international calibre, be it in visual arts, film, literature or the performing arts. This activity engages 2.3 million Irish citizens …

Interfaith: One Size Fits All?, Alan J. Hilliard

Conference Papers

Interfaith: one Shoe Size Fits All?

This paper explores interfaith activity through a social policy lens. Examining our contemporary world through the concepts of Globalisation, Migration, Immigration and Cosmopolitanism the paper reveals how there is not only a growth in ‘global’ phenomenon but also reveals a corresponding impact on local issues and identities.

A further discussion as to the nature of religion and the nature of religious belief in the global context raises the possibility of a framework for religious belief which can be applied to interfaith activity. This discussion also shows a shift in the cultural significance of religious …

Gender And Ses Effects On Multidimensional Self-Concept Development During Adolescence, Patricia Meredith Orr

Doctoral

The present study constitutes an integral part of the Dublin Child Development Study, a longitudinal study which began in 1986 and which has had eight waves of data collection since its inception. Using data collected during two of these waves, multidimensional self-concept status of 72 participants (F = 40, M = 32) was examined at 10 (T1) and 17 (T2) years of age. Longitudinal changes in multidimensional self-concept between T1 and T2 were also examined. The Shavelson Hubner and Stanton Structural Model (1976) was used as the theoretical basis for this research; this model emphasises the multidimensionality of the self-concept …

Lone Parents, Leisure Mobilities And The Everyday, Bernadette Quinn

Books / Book chapters

This chapter highlights the importance of the ordinary as a site for enquiring into how people make sense of their worlds. The primary intention is to highlight the spatiality of everyday leisure practices and to unravel some of the connections that link these to the occasional leisure practice of holidaying. Empirically, the study focuses on a group of female lone parents of dependent children living on low incomes in Dublin. In Ireland as elsewhere, lone parent families constitute a sizeable, growing but marginal societal group. For the women studied, leisure constituted informal, unstructured and modest activities that were stitched into …

The Principles And Practices Of Bar And Beverage Management - The Drinks Handbook, James Peter Murphy

Books/Book Chapters

The bar and drinks business is hugely competitive. The key to success or failure between the many beverages and services offered in any bar is the employees who make, market, sell and serve them. Customer expectation and demand is constantly increasing and so it’s crucial for all staff to have comprehensive product knowledge and superior specialized service skills.

The Principles and Practices of Bar and Beverage Management - The Drinks Handbook is an authoritative resource and comprehensive training guide, essential for all students, bartenders, sommeliers, mixologists, waiters and food and beverage practitioners the world over. Written and configured in an …

Principles And Practices Of Bar And Beverage Management, James Peter Murphy

Books/Book Chapters

Principles and Practices of Bar and Beverage Management is a comprehensive text and resource book designed to explain the latest developments and new complexities of managing modern bars - be they stand alone or part of larger institutions such as hotels and resorts.

Consumer expectations have changed, and a bar today must deliver an integrated social experience in a safe modern environment, which also offers the latest products and services in a professional and engaging fashion. Against a background of increasing competition and an increasingly sophisticated customer base, this text has been designed to support the bar and beverage skills …

A Performance Analysis Of Ws-* (Soap) And Restful Web Services For Implementing Service And Resource Orientated Architectures, Philip Markey, Gary Clynch

Conference Papers

The past number of years have seen the emergence of Service-Oriented Architectures as a dominant architecture for implementing enterprise scale distributed systems. Two main styles of SOA exist, namely SOAP based services and RESTful services. There has been much comment and debate on the pros and cons of each approach to implementing a SOA, a lot of which has surrounded the performance characterictcs of both approaches. In this paper, the authors presents the results of a performance analysis that was conducted on a set of test SOA scenarios implemented using both SOAP and RESTful approaches; in particular the caching capabilities …