Podcast

Dr Markus Ketola and Dr Ciaran Hughes (Ulster) This presentation presents findings from new research that investigates the independence of voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) in Northern Ireland. Commissioned by the Building Change Trust, the research draws on survey results, interviews and focus groups with respondents from both the voluntary sector and government, … Read more

Prof Ann Marie Gray (Ulster) A relatively new and common feature of the devolved administrations in the UK has been the emergence of outcome based frameworks as key components of their policy making processes. An outcome based approach was signalled by the Northern Ireland Government in 2015 as an ambitious approach which would be applied … Read more

Prof Derek Birrell (Ulster) A relatively new and common feature of the devolved administrations in the UK has been the emergence of outcome based frameworks as key components of their policy making processes. An outcome based approach was signalled by the Northern Ireland Government in 2015 as an ambitious approach which would be applied to … Read more

Prof Ciaran Connolly, Prof Noel Hyndman and Dr Mariannunziata Liguori (QUB) The charity sector is significant socially and economically, with the activities of charities being pervasive, increasingly in the joint provision of government services. They exist in most societies and are facilitated through various administrative frameworks and major tax concessions. The sector in the United … Read more

Prof Kieron Sheehy (OU) This presentation sets out evidence that having an accessible communicative environment is the core of inclusive educational practice, facilitating positive outcomes for diverse groups of learners (Sheehy et al. 2009). One effective communicate approach is keyword signing (KWS), which typically samples the manual signs of a country’s Deaf community. For example, … Read more

Mr Ian Collen (QUB) As in England, entries for GCSE and A-level languages in Northern Ireland have declined annually since 2004 (CCEA/JCQ). To redress this decline, languages are now compulsory from Primary 5 to Primary 7 in England. In Scotland, two languages will be compulsory at primary level from 2020. This has led to a … Read more

Dr Sharon Jones (Stranmillis University College) The current deficit in skills in modern languages is economically detrimental (Foreman-Peck and Wang, 2013), not least to the growth of the export base (Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, 2014). Evidence suggests that learning a modern language should begin at primary school (Lenneberg, 1967; Jones and Coffey, 2006) as … Read more

Prof Simon Lee (OU) The concept of “parity of esteem” is central to diverse constitutional, political, legal and socio-economic narratives of Northern Ireland and of these islands. In 1994, Professor Simon Lee analysed the history and philosophical underpinning of “parity of esteem” in a collection of essays in honour of Reverend Eric Gallagher, tracing the … Read more

Dr Anne Smith (Ulster) and Prof Colin Harvey (QUB) This presentation focuses on an independent funded project (Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust) that seeks to address the issue of a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland in the context of Brexit. A Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland remains part of the unfinished work of the … Read more