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DCU Changemaker Schools Network

Research Opportunites

Please contact us should you wish to engage in research

John White: john.white@dcu.ie

 

 

Research opportunities

The DCU CSN is a school-university partnership, and to date, the focus has been on the schools. The next stage of the DCU CSN is a focus on the university, the partnership, and our university school model. There are exciting opportunities for research with the DCU CSN schools, as all schools are positioned as research schools or research hubs linked to the DCU IoE. Within this, schools are supported to research themselves and or engage in CPD/ action research.

. More broadly all schools are available for research in the following domains:

  • Professional learning communities, communities of practice 

  • Exploration of the everyday practices of children, teachers, and school leaders in DCU Changemaker Schools

  • The University school model

  • Childrens citizenship

  • Transformational leadership, agency, and school cultures

  • School cultures of and for social justice 

  • Teacher and leader motivation, hope and purpose

  • Children’s identities and conceptualisation of being a changemaker/active citizen

  • 21st century learning skills and models

  • Teachers reflective practice and affective reflections

There is significant scope to explore research with children as co-participants in research via CRAG’s, photovoice and other modalities to capture the voice of the child and their experiences in their DCU Changemaker Schools. The essence of the DCUCSN is supporting children’s identity as active citizens. Exploratory studies looking at children’s citizenship capacities to enact change in their home, school and community is worthy of investigation.

 

 

 

The following schools have strengths in the following domains:

 

Childrens voice, participation, and citizenship:

 

  • GETNS: Children’s Advisory Panel
  • St Columba’s Girls School with Deaf Unit (gender equality/girls)
  • Scoil Bhride Shantalla- Sea School

 

Equality, voice, and inclusion

 

  • St Ultans P.S.  – integrated model of education and care
  • Corpus Christi N.S.- Sky is the Limit model
  • Kolbe Special School
  • Portlaw N.S.
  • Tarmon N.S
  • Scoil Iosogain
  • St Olivers N.S.
  • Ringsend BNS (gender equality/boys)
  • Scoil Chiaran CBS (gender equality/boys)
    • Francis Street School

 

 

Children's wellbeing, engagement, and citizenship

 

  • Darndale JNS
  • GETNS
  • Scoil Iosogain
  • Our Lady and St Mochua’s P.S.
  • Rathcoole ETNS

 

 

 

Social justice/Empathy/Equality

 

  • St Mary’s N.S. Limerick
  • St Ultans P.S
  • Corpus Christi N.S.
  • Rathcoole ETNS
  • Scoil Chiaran CBS
  • Ringsend BNS
  • Eglish N.S.
  • Bunscoil Loreto
  • Scoil Bhride Shantalla
  • Schools that are also Schools of Sanctuary

 

 

Outdoor learning including forest school/ Climate justice 

 

  • Barnacogue N.S. (Forest school)
  • Dalkey School Project (Forest School)
  • St Columba’s Girls School with Deaf Unit (Garden, bogland)
  • Tarmon N.S. (school farm)
  • St Joseph’s P.S.
  • Rathcoole – Forest School
  • Scoil Bhride Shantalla (Sea School)

 

Creativity

 

  • Ballymoney N.S.
  • Bunscoil Loreto
  • Schools that are also Creative Schools