Research in the School of Education
Research Students at Post Graduate Level
A number of Masters students have completed and a further number are currently completing theses on areas of direct academic relevance to education. Research topics include:
- Attitudes to IT in the workforce
- The Application of APEL to industry
- Methodologies to engage learners who previously had not engaged in either education or training
- The Educational needs of older adult
- 2000 Msc.“The Uses of Accredited Experiential learning for Industry”
- 2002 M.A.“The Contribution of Multi-Media technology to the acquisition of literacy by Adult Literacy Learners” 2007 M.A. “An assessment of the impact of Family Learning programmes on parents learning through their involvement in their childrens learning programmes”
- On-going M.A. “Workplace Education as a tool for equipping low skilled workers to acquire new literacy practices”
Three of these research Masters have been funded through Strand 1 TSR Programme for basic research:
- ‘To Develop Methodology to Facilitate the Participation of Vulnerable Groups in Workbased and Lifelong Learning’
- ‘Listening to the Voices of Older Learners in Ireland - An Investigation of Educational Needs’
- ‘Post Implementation Systems Adaptation Support for Highly Integrated Advanced Information Technology’
In addition, a current research study at PhD level is being funded by an Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences Scholarship (IRCHSS):
- 'Towards an understanding of the measurement of client progression in longitudinal tracking systems in adult educational guidance in Ireland'
Consultancy Work
The School has completed research projects on a consultancy basis for organisations on topics including:
- Instructional design concepts for trainers in industry
- APEL processes for Dept of Education & Science and Portuguese Adult educators
- Educational supports for disadvantaged individuals
- Educational supports for Adult Education Centres
- Employment initiatives
- Community drugs information initiative
- Educational needs of travellers
- Service needs of New Ross
- Rural development
- Youthwork
- Skilnet for micro-enterprises
- IT staff training needs analysis for Council of Directors of the Institutes of Technology
Action Research Projects
- All of these research projects inform the School’s academic work in adult education, community education and development and adult literacy education and training. The research also informs the learning and teaching process e.g. developments in blended learning.
- Literacy Development Centre pursues active research opportunities in the field of adult literacy and teacher training for educators in the following key thematic areas:
- Adult Literacy Teaching Methodologies
- Teacher Training programmes for Adult Literacy Practitioners
- Workplace Literacy
- Family Literacy
- Literacy as Social Practice
- The Literacy Development Centre has recently completed a two year EU Grundtvig funded project (TRAIN) that was involved in the development of a number of teacher training modules for adults working in the field of adult literacy and numeracy. The project involved collaborating with four European partners (
Germany, Slovenia, France and Cyprus ) to develop teacher training modules that reflected best practice in the field of teacher training in adult literacy. - Leonardo Project - to investigate how theories of Multiple Intelligences as pioneered by Howard Gardner can be employed in the classroom, and specifically to broaden assessment practices.
- Leonardo Project -European Modules for Environmental Protection. This involves the development of new learning and teaching methods in vocational education.
- Opening the Door to Language Learning project, European Socrates Programme (Lingua 1). WIT has offered a guided, self-directed programme for German.
- In-Company Training Measure of the Employment and Human Resources Operational Programme. This action-research project involves the development and implementation of an E-learning/blended learning programme for small businesses in county Wexford.
- CALMAST (The Centre for the Advancement of learning of Maths, Science & Technology) is the Irish partner in an EU project, European Pupils magazine – History of Science and Technology. This is a pan European programme written by second level students for second level students. An article on the life and works of Robert Boyle, from Blackwater Community School, Lismore has been published in June, and there are more in preparation from Irish schools.
CALMAST is also involved in an EU Socrates funded project – GRID Growing interest in the teaching of Science. The aim of the project is to look at best practice in the teaching of Science across thirty EU countries. Partners include:
- Pole Universitaire Europeen de Lorraine
- EDUCONSULT
- University of Bradford
- Amitie, Italy
- LUMA, Sweden
- Orszagos Kozoktatasi, Hungary
Emerging Research Centres
Due to the extensive range of work being carried out in Adult and Continuing Education a number of clusters of researchers are emerging in:
- Literacy Research
- How Adults Learn (including E-Learning Pedagogies)
- Access to Education
- Community Education
- Multiple Intelligence Theory and Applications
- Education of the Older Adult
- Enterprise Education in collaboration with the School of Business
With increased staff numbers, increased qualifications of existing staff, increased collaborations with other colleagues within WIT and with organisations and individuals outside the Institute, progress is anticipated in the above areas. The School of Education is committed to the promotion of learning and knowledge through research. The School actively supports the development of a sustainable level of research in order to enhance the relevance and quality of research informed teaching at all levels.
This research support involves administrative, technical and financial assistance, in addition to the ongoing improvement of research working space and facilities. Generous funding of continuing professional development, particularly for higher qualifications, of all school staff is provided and is seen as the cornerstone of the commitment to expanding and developing research activity.
The School of Education’s research philosophy is evolving from staff experience of undergraduate project work. It views research activity as offering staff the opportunity to enhance their expertise, and subsequently feed this back into the undergraduate teaching programmes. This course-based objective informs strategic planning in relation to the appropriateness of areas selected for support.
A related research objective for the School is to inculcate a tradition of writing peer reviewed research papers for publication and to make this a matter of accepted routine for education staff. The School and Department acknowledge and emphasise the importance of disseminating research findings through peer-reviewed journals, publications, conference papers and e-media. Staff members have presented research findings at both national and international conferences, written articles for journal and other publications. This serves to build confidence in the research capability of staff while developing a profile for the individual researchers, the School of Education and Professional Development and the Institute.
