Doctoral Fellows

Ciara Bradley

Ph.D. Topic: The Stories of Single Mothers in Ireland

This research is interested in the stories and storied lives of single mothers in changing cultural contexts and the processes of social change in Ireland, in the context of persistent patriarchal discourses and government policy orientated towards two parent families.

The research takes a critical interpretative stance and is interested in the subjective narratives of single mothers. It utilises the Biographic Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM) for data collection and analysis.

Catherine Carty

c.carty2@nuigalway.ie

Ph.D. Topic: The Extent to Which Residential Care Practice Promotes Protective Resilience Factors for Young People in Care and as a Coping Mechanism for Those Who Have Left Care.

“For many young people the outcomes of life in the care system may not be positive”. The reasons for their admission into care may not have been resolved and young people may have acquired additional problems as a result of being in care. Consequently, their care experience may not facilitate the development of strengths, resources and coping strategies for life after care.

Máire Hanniffy

m.hanniffy2@nuigalway.ie

Ph.D. Topic: An Exploration of a Community's Impact on Children's School Readiness in Galway.

This research intends to explore a disadvantaged community in Galway, and identify the level of school readiness in that area as a function of the community and the parents, who together share the responsibility of preparing the three- to four-year-old population for entering primary school. Beliefs about school readiness are locally determined.

Tanja Kovacic

T.KOVACIC1@nuigalway.ie

Ph.D. Topic: Narratives on Civic Participation and Resilience: Contextual, Cultural and Generational Understanding of the Phenomena in the Republic of Slovenia

Current understanding of the notion of resilience emphasizes the importance of contextual and cultural specifics for studying the phenomenon (Ungar, M. & Liebenberg, L., 2008). This idea provides an important step forward in providing the link between individual processes and availability of social resources in studying resilience.

Sheila McArdle

s.mcardle3@nuigalway.ie

Ph.D. Topic: A Youth-centred Exploration with Rural and Urban Zambian Youth Regarding Their Perceptions of Civic Engagement, Gender and Community

The recent revival in youth civic engagement (YCE) offers the promise of youth well-being and resilience for young people who participate, a strengthening of interpersonal networks and benefits for the community at large (Evans, 2005). But when exploring YCE, a complex interplay between political, economic, cultural and social factors begins to emerge.

Jessica Ozan

j.ozan1@nuigalway.ie

Ph.D. Topic: Assessing Leadership in Interagency Work for Children

Increasingly, policy makers and service managers, planners and practitioners are encouraged, and often mandated, to work together to achieve better outcomes for children and young people (CFRC/CAWT, 2008). While interagency collaboration has its challenges, leadership is a critical factor in terms of engaging partnership members, and has a great impact on the developmental trajectory of interagency groups (Horwath and Morrison, 2007).

Sue Redmond

sue.redmond@Foroige.ie

Ph.D. Topic: An Explorative Study to Establish the Association between Leadership Skills, Resilience and Social Support

This project sets out to explore the association between leadership skills development, and resilience and social support. Young people aged 15-18 years involved in Foróige’s Youth leadership programme complete self-perception questionnaires on resilience, social supports and leadership skills to ascertain baseline, post and follow-up measures.

Leanne Robins

leanne.robins@nuigalway.ie

Ph.D. Topic: My Place: An International Study Exploring Children’s Narratives of ‘Culture’.

The importance of allowing children to identify, describe and define what ‘culture’ is to them, appears to be something that has been ignored in the academic literature on this subject. Definitions and descriptions of ‘culture’ have emanated from a vast array of professions including anthropology, social work, psychology and sociology.

Ph.D.s awarded

Carmel Devaney, 15th July 2011

Thesis title: Family Support as an Approach to Working with Children and Families in Ireland: An Explorative Study of Past and Present Perspectives Among Pioneers and Practitioners.

Cormac Forkan, 2nd July 2010

Thesis title: Building Evidence on How to Support Adolescents through a Comparative Tracking of their Perceived Social Support Outcomes.

Bernadine Brady, 17th December 2010

Thesis title: An Assessment of the Viability and Value of Youth Mentoring as a Policy Option in an Irish Context.

Connie O’Regan, 12th November 2010

Thesis title: Methodology and Evidence in Evaluation: Lessons from a Randomised Control Trial of a Youth Mentoring Programme in Ireland.

Doctoral Fellows

Ciara Bradley

Ph.D. Topic: The Stories of Single Mothers in Ireland

Michael Browne

Ph.D. Topic: An Investigation of a Rights-Based Approach to Social Supports for Children and Young People with an Intellectual Disability in Ireland

Tereza Brumovská

Ph.D. Topic: International Comparative Research on the Big Brothers Big Sisters Youth Mentoring Programme in Ireland and the Czech Republic

Catherine Carty

Ph.D. Topic: The Extent to Which Residential Care Practice Promotes Protective Resilience Factors for Young People in Care and as a Coping Mechanism for Those Who Have Left Care.

Anne Cassidy

Ph.D. Topic: Transitions to Adulthood: Farm Youth and the Future

Sheila Garrity

Ph.D. Topic: Exploratory Study of Relationships between Parents and Providers of Childcare Services in Ireland