Better Reading for Better Outcomes- Working Collaboratively to Narrow the Attainment Gap

Dr Claire McDowell (Ulster), Prof Julian Leslie (Ulster) and Dr Catherine Storey (QUB) Despite a nationwide understanding that reading well is essential to tackling the effects of poverty, Northern Ireland still has one of the highest percentages of children failing to reach the lowest literacy benchmark. Past research has shown that if children do not … Read more

Role of Virtual Reality in Geography and Science Fieldwork Education

Prof Shailey Minocha (OU), Dr Steve Tilling (UCL Institute of Education) and Dr Ana-Despina Tudor (OU) Fieldwork has a long tradition in geography, and in certain sciences, notably geology, biology and environmental sciences. Fieldwork involves leaving the classroom and engaging in learning and teaching through first-hand experience of phenomena in outdoor settings. Exploration in natural … Read more

Voice, Agency and Blame: Victimhood and Dealing with the Past in Northern Ireland

Dr Cheryl Lawther, Prof Kieran McEvoy and Dr Lauren Dempster (QUB) This presentation presents the preliminary findings of an Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project entitled ‘Voice, Agency and Blame: Victimhood and the Imagined Community in Northern Ireland’. The project is based on qualitative interviews over 2016/17, with over 70 victims and survivors, lawyers, … Read more

The ‘Disappeared,’ the ICLVR, and ‘dealing with the past’ in Northern Ireland

Dr Lauren Dempster (QUB) 2014’s Stormont House Agreement (SHA) states that the Independent Commission on Information Retrieval (ICIR) will build ‘on the precedent provided by the Independent Commission on the Location of Victims’ Remains’. This presentation explores how the Independent Commission for the Location of Victim Remains (ICLVR) mechanism works and why it provides a … Read more

Apologies, Abuses and Dealing with the past

Prof Kieran McEvoy and Dr Anna Bryson (QUB) Within the academic literature, the concept of apology is diversely theorised and almost always focused on the state.  Despite widespread acceptance that apologies are key to dealing with past wrongs, in practice there has been relatively little detailed empirical assessment of the views of apologisers, victims or … Read more

Mellow Parenting: Caring for vulnerable mothers

Mr Iain McGowan (QUB), Dr Lucy Thompson and Prof Phil Wilson (University of Aberdeen) Pregnancy and childbirth are traditionally recognised as life events that are to be cherished and celebrated. However, recent official reports of deaths by suicide, including a recent report of the Confidential Enquiry on Maternal and Child Health have raised awareness of … Read more

Breastfeeding Promotion as an Economic Investment

Dr Mark McGovern (QUB), Dr Giampiero Marra (University College London), Dr Rosalba Radice (University of London) and Dr Slawa Rokicki (University College Dublin) Not only are rates of breastfeeding low in Northern Ireland compared to the rest of the UK, but there are substantial inequalities with mothers living in the least deprived wards twice as … Read more

The Cohesiveness of Technology in Later Life: Findings from the Technology In Later Life (TILL) Project

Dr Hannah R. Marston (OU), Dr Shannon Freeman (University of Northern British Columbia, Canada), Dr Rebecca Genoe (University of Regina, Canada), Dr Cory Kulcyzki (University of Regina, Canada) and Dr Charles Musselwhite (Swansea University) Statistics show Northern Ireland (NI) ageing population (65+ years) has increased between 1974 (11.2%) to 2014 (15.5%). Estimated projections suggest this … Read more