Yvonne Moynihan: “Exploring the Experiences of Migrant Pupils in Different School Types in Northern Ireland”

In Students by General Account

Description

My academic background is in International Development (BSc, University College Cork) and Conflict Transformation and Social Justice (MA, Queens University Belfast). I have also spent 15 years working in education, in Spain, Peru and Ireland, much of which was in the area of special educational needs and inclusion.

This research project explores the experiences of migrant students in Northern Ireland’s primary school system, a system that was originally designed around the religious traditions and political aspirations of the Catholic and Protestant communities. How migrant students find their place in these schools is likely to shed light on the ways that schools with a more pronounced emphasis on faith/cultural values engage with difference compared with a school type where the values more obviously align with the principles of multicultural education and potentially culturally responsive approaches.