Marie ParkerJenkins

No longer ‘Catholic, White and Gaelic’: schools in Ireland coming to terms with cultural diversity

Irish society has experienced unprecedented demographic change since the turn of the twenty-first century, and increasingly, educators are facing the prospect of having to respond to the changing nature of cultural diversity in their classrooms. Traditionally characterised as ‘Catholic, white and Gaelic’, Irish schools are said to be finding it difficult to recognise and acknowledge new expressions of race, culture and religion. This paper focuses on the challenges facing educationalists in responding to cultural diversity within the Republic of Ireland. Drawing on empirical research conducted in Irish schools, we frame the discussion around a number of practical issues, namely, school dress, curriculum content and academic attainment, and explore the findings using liberal and critical multicultural theories. Finally, the paper contains philosophical discussion of the challenge of responding to cultural diversity and the implications this raises for policy and practice in Ireland.

Methodological and Ethical Dilemmas in International Research: school attendance and gender in Ghana

abstract The paper considers questions of ethics and methodology in international research. An action research project designed for Ghana/UNICEF as part of a consultancy on school attendance is used as a case‐study from which to examine the ethical dilemmas facing consultants and their clients in educational research carried out as part of international aid. Ethical dilemmas of resourcing, ownership, accountability and self‐interest are discussed by the English consultants. It thus has a double purpose. It both contributes to research on school attendance, and also furthers debate about methodology and constraints on it.

Mind the gap: developing the roles, expectations and boundaries in the doctoral supervisor–supervisee relationship

Does one need really need boundaries between doctoral supervisor and supervisee when talking about mature learners? Drawing on reflection from her extensive experience, the author believes it is critical to maintain this divide. There is an increase in doctoral students, proliferation of doctoral programmes globally and practices which vary from context to context. A shared concern, however, is the engagement between the supervisor and the supervisee which can often be mutually unsatisfactory. Why is this relationship often so problematic for both parties? What kind of relationship is most appropriate and beneficial? To what extent does this academic engagement need rethinking? These questions are explored with reference to roles, expectations and boundaries and the underlying principles of good practice.

Problematising ethnography and case study: reflections on using ethnographic techniques and researcher positioning

ABSTRACT This paper was prompted by the question, what do we mean by conducting ‘ethnography’? Is it in fact ‘case study’ drawing on ethnographic techniques? My contention is that in many cases, researchers are not actually conducting ethnography as understood within a traditional sense but rather are engaging in case study, drawing on ethnographic techniques. Does that matter you might ask? Well it determines what we can expect to discover from a research project in terms of results and the unearthing of deeper complexities. I frame the discussion around a set of closely related issues, namely ethnography, case study and researcher positioning, drawing on ethnographic techniques and fieldwork relations. The original contribution of the piece and overall argument is that research can represent a hybrid form, and based on my own research experience, I propose a new term ‘ethno-case study’ that has advantages of both ethnography and case study.

Education for the other: policy and provision for Muslim children in the UK and Swedish education systems

Abstract The European Convention on Human Rights has been signed by both the UK and Sweden as well as other European states, providing legal justification for accommodating the educational needs of religious minorities. This legal entitlement is explored in the paper, with particular reference to parental choice for schools based on an Islamic ethos. How the UK and Sweden have responded to accommodate the religious convictions of Muslim families is the focus of discussion, drawing on historical and policy backgrounds. The paper also draws on the theoretical work of Kumashiro and the concept of ‘Education for the Other’, examining the positioning of minority groups within the broad context of a multicultural society and the challenge of accommodating religious convictions in a climate of increasing support for cultural assimilation.

Identity, Belief and Cultural Sustainability: A Case- Study of the Experiences of Jewish and Muslim Schools in the UK

This chapter explores issues of identity and belief with reference to Jewish and Muslim schools in the UK. Discussion is informed by the views of Jewish and Muslim school community stakeholders who operate in a site in which cultural sustainability is part of the institutional ethos. The chapter provides: the context of the study; the nature of the research underpinning discussion; the experience of hostility from the wider community and evidence of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia; challenges around keeping the faith community safe; and coherence and alignment with national priorities in education.

Rights in Conflict: The Case of Margaret Caldwell

This paper examines the case of Margaret Caldwell, whose contract was not renewed by the Catholic school at which she was teaching because she married a divorced Methodist in a civil ceremony. Conflicting judgments by British Columbian courts have favoured both parties, and the dispute now faces adjudication by the Supreme Court of Canada. The discussion focuses on the case by examining: the background of the case, the legal status of denominational schools, the rights of the individual in a Canadian context, freedom from discrimination, and the resolution of rights in conflict. It concludes by considering the possible ramifications of the ultimate decision of the Supreme Court of Canada for both the school and Caldwell.

The anti-bullying handbook

The tragic death of Phoebe Prince in Massachusetts, USA, brought into sharp focus the issue of school-based bullying. Rather than a safe haven, some pupils have experienced school as the place where they are vulnerable to harassment and ultimately suicide has appeared to be the only way out. Sadly this is not an isolated case, and schools in other countries have also been confronted with this situation. The anti-bullying handbook by Professor Keith Sullivan is a timely contribution to the problem of school-based bullying. Scandinavian writers who began the debates about bullying in the 1980s set the issue within the context of children’s rights. The work of the Norwegian writer Dan Olweus has been particularly influential in giving recognition to the existence of school-based bullying and in making it clear that teachers are obliged to take this activity seriously as part of ‘the duty of care’. More recently, the phenomenon of ‘cyberbullying’ has demonstrated that children may not even feel safe at home, and through the medium of ICT, bullying can take place anywhere, at any time and right into a child’s bedroom. This book contributes to the debate about an issue which is experienced among families and across school communities, and goes a long way in clarifying what we mean by bullying and how schools can respond effectively. Divided into five parts with 20 chapters, there is a useful discussion of the nature of bullying, and of school policy and preventative strategies linked to institutional ethos. Guidance for teachers and other professionals comes through discussion of both the victim and perpetrator. Interestingly, the role that third parties or onlookers play in providing an audience for the bullying event is highlighted, and their role is explained as being instrumental in ‘instigating, maintaining and exacerbating bullying episodes’ (36). How we define a problem determines how we resolve it, and different types of harassment are discussed including racist, homophobic and sexual bullying; and consideration is given to a group that often gets neglected, the bullying of special needs children. Another group that does not normally get included in books of this nature are ‘teachers as bullies’. Drawing on academic sources, Sullivan argues that ‘although the vast majority of adults in authority interact respectfully with students, some physically and psychologically bully students’ (32). Reported types of maltreatment perpetrated by adults are given as ‘students being grabbed, pushed, yelled at, unfairly disciplined, called names and isolated from their peers’ (32). This raises the question of what constitutes an appropriate disciplinary sanction, and when does chastisement end and corporal punishment or bullying begin? It also raises the question of how much bullying may be taking place in the Irish Educational Studies Vol. 30, No. 3, September 2011, 403 405

One Year On the implementation and impact of the Home-School Agreements in Derbyshire primary schools

Teachers in ’A Willing Partnership’ ( 1992) has documented case studies of their use. Up until now, however, a school’s decision to move towards school contracts has been a matter of choice: as of September 1999, all schools were legally obliged to have this system in place (DfEE 1998) This provided the opportunity for making explicit mutual responsibilities and expectations of parents and schools. The signed parental declaration also provides the opportunity for closer scrutiny of what is expected of pupils at school (Alexander et al 1995). It also offers the possibility of dialogue not just with parents, but also with pupils, which gives more credibility to the notion of a ’whole school’ policy. In reality home-school contracts may mean a great deal or very little, as with any other centrally imposed policy decision. This project set out to explore the involvement and significance of the new initiative within a sample of our Partnership schools. Our findings of this project are reported in two sections, starting with ‘implementation’.