From shared schools to shared space: integrated education initiatives in Northern Ireland in comparative perspective

Political parties and the general public in Northern Ireland usually agree that community relations could be improved by more widespread provision of ‘integrated education’ in the region (Lucid Talk, 2014). Integrated schools in Northern Ireland involve children from both the Catholic/nationalist and Protestant/unionist communities being educated together in the same classroom. Currently, most children from a Catholic/nationalist background attend Catholic schools, whilst the majority of their Protestant/unionist counterparts attend state schools. This article compares the policy on integrated education pursued by the first power-sharing executive (1973–74) with those of the current executive. The evidence suggests that there has been a drift away from integrated to shared education models, where the only true sharing taking place is of the facilities and infrastructure (DOE, 2013). The latter kind of school is much less likely to lead to the promotion, at an early age, of tolerance and mutual understanding between the region’s two main communities. The evidence therefore suggests that the first power-sharing executive, during a more difficult security climate, had a considerably more ambitious integrated education policy than its contemporary counterpart, ostensibly operating in a post-conflict context

Book Review: J. McEvoy and B. O'Leary (eds). Power Sharing in Deeply Divided Places (U. Penn. Press, 2013)

Power-sharing is a key component of many peace settlements in divided societies. Scholarship on power-sharing is heavily influenced by Arend Lijphart’s pioneering work on consociational theory. Advocates of consociational power-sharing argue that it is a pragmatic means of dealing with competing ethnic identities which are durable, (as opposed to primordial), rather than malleable – a proposition not without its critic

021 PP: Dual theoretical synergy framework: Developing and refining a method for stakeholder engagement in intervention development

Stakeholder engagement and patient and public involvement (PPI) is now a key expectation within healthcare policy and in securing research funding and often needs to be evident throughout the research process. While systematic reviews and meta-analyses synthesise the best evidence for the content of behaviour change interventions, engaging stakeholders in a collaborative process of co-production could identify the best ways of implementing interventions. We developed the Dual Theoretical Synergy (DTS) Framework to work with stakeholders via expert events to identify the major systemic and psychosocial barriers and facilitators to implementing interventions in practice. The method uses facilitated group exercises to assess the acceptability of the design, content and proposed delivery mechanisms of an intervention to examine systemic, psychosocial and/or contextual barriers and facilitators to implementation, using the Theoretical Domains Framework and Normalisation Process Theory. Qualitative content analysis is used to record the key recurrent issues and to map similarities and differences in responses by domain to create a matrix of key barriers and facilitators to implementation of the candidate intervention. The matrix and a narrative summary are sent to participants for review and comment and to seek consensus on the interpretation of the data. The benefit of the method is in empowering stakeholders to think through and detail key ways of enhancing implementation of the candidate intervention, using standard theoretical constructs, and to engage in collaborative co-production of an intervention that is more likely to be adopted in the ‘real world’

Learning intentions and success criteria: learners' and teachers' views

It is generally accepted that Assessment for Learning (AfL) strategies are effective in teaching and learning. Approaches within this framework include the use of formative feedback, self and peer assessment and setting and discussion of learning intentions (LIs) and success criteria (SC). There has been a great deal of research into AfL strategies, but perhaps less into the way that the use of LIs and SC are actually perceived by teachers and their pupils. The purpose of the research described in this paper was to investigate teachers’ and pupils’ perceptions of AfL strategies, focusing specifically on LIs and SC within lessons. Findings showed that while both cohorts agreed on the usefulness of LIs and SC, in practice they were rarely discussed in class. Teachers displayed a variety of understandings regarding their purpose, and some learners, while appreciating their value for revision purposes, also expressed frustration at the tokenistic way in which they were implemented. The results of this study could be helpful in informing the wider education community about how LIs and SC are viewed by teachers and learners with a view to ensure understandings are consistent with research and policy through focused professional development courses