Education Commons^™

‘A Healthy Mtu’ A Mixed Methods Baseline Programme Of Research To Empirically Inform A Campus Health Promotion Initiative Within An Irish Higher Education Setting, Andrea Bickerdike

Theses

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have been called to lead global health promotion actions, yet there remains a dearth of empirically informed ‘Healthy University’ (HU) initiatives. This thesis constituted a baseline mixed methods needs assessment to inform a settings-based health promotion (HP) initiative (‘A Healthy MTU’) within a multi-campus ‘case’ HEI in Ireland (Cork campuses of MTU, formerly CIT). Specific aims were to (i) investigate student and staff health metrics, and (ii) identify the cultural and environmental determinants of health and wellbeing within the case HEI setting. Using a phased, mixed methodology (QUAN-QUAL), five sequential empirical studies were undertaken. Quantitative data …

Why Post- Leaving Certificate Students In Ireland From Disadvantaged Backgrounds Are Less Likely To Proceed To Third-Level Education, Edward Hayes

Theses

Educational disadvantage continues to be a cause for concern, and addressing it remains at the forefront of education policy in Ireland (Houses of Oireachtas, 2019; Weir et al., 2017). This research extended across the academic years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 and during the period of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which imposed public health measures, and enforced an emergency online digital learning environment. A socio-economic profile of Ireland’s student body registered an attainment gap between rich and poor, finding that young people from backgrounds of disadvantage continue to be underrepresented at third-level when compared to their middle-class counterparts (HEA, 2020). The primary …

Project Spraoi: The Effectiveness Of A Nutrition And Physical Activity Intervention On The Dietry Intake, Dietary Patterns, Nutritional Knowledge And Markers Of Health Of Irish Primary School Children, Alison Merrotsy

PhDs

Aim: To implement and evaluate the effectiveness of a nutrition and physical activity (PA) intervention (Project Spraoi) on dietary intake (DI), dietary patterns (DP), nutritional knowledge (NK), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), blood pressure (BP) and markers of health of Irish children in one primary school in Cork. The relationship between DP and NK, CRF, BP and anthropometric data will also be examined.

Design: Cross-sectional and longitudinal study. Food diary, NK questionnaire and 550m walk/run test were used to assess DI, DP, NK and CRF, respectively. BP, body mass index (BMI) and waist to height ratio (WHtR) were also calculated.

Setting: Two …

Gender Difference When Processing Death By Suicide: Attitudes Amongst Third Level Students Aged 18-25 Attending Cork Institute Of Technology And College Support Professionals, Sandra Conroy

Masters

Rationale behind research: Survivors of suicide/ suicide bereaved face unique challenges in their grief, resulting in a greater risk of conditions such as complicated grief, PTSD and suicidal ideation developing (Young, Iglewicz, Glorioso, Lanouette, Seay, llapakurti & Zisook, 2012). In dealing with or 'processing' the loss of a loved one by suicide, Wertheimer details that, "suicidal thoughts are not uncommon during the early months of bereavement" (1991: 178). The incidence of young men dying by suicide is notably higher than that of women in this country; a stubborn gender difference persists in Ireland with males representing on average 80% of …

Ontology Management For Universities, Roland Böving

Theses

What is the 'knowledge' of a university? It is the sum of all experiences and all contributions of students and staff. Knowledge ultimately exists, among other things, in the form of theses, articles, lectures and research reports. The largest knowledge pool of a university is made up, however, of the knowledge and expertise of every single member of the university. As a result of the high rate of turnover of people, knowledge and expertise are on the one hand constantly being lost, but this is replaced by a fresh intake of upcoming young students and lecturers reflecting the spirit of …

Participation And Determinants Of Physical Activity Amongst Irish 3rd Level Students., Jonathan Lerner

Theses

Currently, there is a dearth of research investigating physical activity patterns among Irish third level young adults (17-22 year olds). Both national and international research report that levels of physical activity decline in adolescence, this trend being most pronounced among females. Various biological, psychological, social, and environmental determinants have been found to influence physical activity; however, specific factors associated with the decline in activity during adolescence remain largely unknown. This research study examines participation and determinants of physical activity among Irish third level students.

A “National questionnaire” was administered to a sample of 532 students from Health Education Authority (HEA) …

Enhancing Science Education Through Engaging Visual Content, David Kavanagh

Theses

In recent years a decline in the number of Irish students choosing to study science, at second level and on into third level, has become potentially harmful to the desired creation of a science-based knowledge economy. A primary contributing factor towards this decline is a lack of interest in the subject within the classroom, as was established by The Task Force on the Physical Sciences in 2002.

The primary aim of this Masters research is to investigate the role of visualisation in making the study of science more accessible and engaging to students to counter this decline. To this end …

A Blueprint For Physical Activity Promotion In A Small Urban Town (Mallow, Co. Cork), Elaine Mary Dennehy

Theses

This research project aims to establish current levels of participation in physical activity amongst the adult population of the Mallow Urban District Council (UDC) area. Using an adaptation of The Scottish Physical Activity Questionnaire (SPAQ) (Lowther et al, 1999) used by the Health Education Bureau for Scotland (HEBS) an attempt will be made to establish the respondents’ readiness for change in relation to physical activity participation. This research methodology is new to Ireland but has been used successfully by the HEBS, (Lowther et al, 1999).

The objectives of this work are to:

1. Establish current levels of participation in physical …

An Assessment Of Distance Learning Delivery Methodologies And The Proposal Of An Open Distance Learning Delivery Model For A Third Level Course In Sports Development, Deirdre Kiely

Theses

In the development of a distance learning curriculum the appropriate choice of media, in terms of both presentation of course materials, and of the approach to providing tutorial and other support, is a key question that needs to be addressed at the outset. However, very few studies provide guidelines for distance learning facilitators to help them in choosing these delivery methods. This study aimed to propose an Open Distance Learning (ODL) delivery model for a third level course in Sports Development and in doing so identifies a number of criteria which may be used by institutes when deciding on their …