Curriculum, Assessment and Pedagogy Group (CAP)
The research of members of the Curriculum, Assessment and Pedagogy Group focuses on theoretical and practical issues concerning curricula, assessment, teaching and learning in primary schools, second level schools and in teacher education. Members of the group have expertise/interests in curriculum design, student assessment, information technologies, language, mathematics, music, science, school management and system evaluation.
Current Research Projects
| Staff Members involved | Project |
| Ann Devitt | The language of science. An exploration of the language of science textbooks and classrooms at key transition points in education (from primary to post-primary and from junior to senior cycle) to examine aspects of language that can facilitate or impede access to the curriculum for learners. |
Ann Devitt Marita Kerin Elizabeth Oldham |
Use of reflection in teacher education. This project explores how domain-specific learning experiences and reflection on these as part of a programme of initial teacher education can impact on student teachers’ understanding of learning in their discipline and on student teachers’ practice in the classroom. |
Damian Murchan Elizabeth Oldham |
Diagnostic computer-based assessment in Primary Mathematics. Run in association with colleagues at a leading Irish publishing company, and a group of collaborating schools and teachers, this developmental research programme uses a computer platform to aid teachers better understand students’ mathematical achievement and learning processes. Designed as a frequently-administered set of online tests, the programme provides timely information to teachers and students in relation to objectives on the primary mathematics curriculum and to identify specific concepts, skills and possible underlying structural obstacles on which students may need assistance. Research within the programme, some of which has been conducted by School of Education postgraduate students, has provided key insights into the efficacy of the initiative and has informed programme planning and implementation. The programme epitomises the valuable relationship that can be forged between the academic research community, schools and industry and offers a useful model for similar joint initiatives. |
Keith Johnston Damian Murchan Elizabeth Oldham |
Interactive Whiteboards in Primary Education This project is a longitudinal investigation of the policy antecedents, current practice and efficacy of interactive whiteboard (IWB) use in primary education. Through analysis of the broader national and international policy and non-policy contexts in which IWBs have/are being introduced, the study will help understand the complex milieu in which this advanced technology has been adopted in schools. Decision-making processes at local school and community levels are also investigated, along impacts on teaching and learning. Situated in the broader context of the smart-economy and e-learning, it is hoped that the research will retrospectively reveal the complex rationale behind the embracing of IWBs and highlight best practice in optimising the technology for the curriculum and learning. |
| Elizabeth Oldham | An exploration of Mathematical Identity using Narrative as a Tool (MINT) The project involves investigating the Mathematical Identity of cohorts of student teachers and others who are, will be, or may be involved in mathematics teaching. The chief aim is to propose an efficient and effective protocol by which third level mathematics educators can explore the Mathematical Identities of their students, with a view to improving the teaching and learning of mathematics. This is a SCoTENS-funded project involving colleagues in St. Patrick's College (Drumcondra), Stranmillis University College (Belfast), Trinity College Dublin, the University of Limerick, the Institute of Art, Design and Technology (Dun Laoghaire) and NUI Galway. |
Recent publications, conference proceedings and presentations
| Ann Devitt | Lexical cohesion in the language of science textbooks , European Conference on Educational Research 2011, Berlin, Germany, 13-16 September 2011 |
Ann Devitt Sean Devitt Marita Kerin Elizabeth Oldham |
Back to school: how becoming a reflective learner impacts on practice, European Conference on Educational Research 2011, Berlin, Germany, 13-16 September 2011 |
Ann Devitt Elizabeth Oldham Marita Kerin |
Beginning a career of learning about learning: a case study of student teachers in an initial teacher education programme in Ireland, Annual Conference of the Association for Teacher Education in Europe (ATEE 2011), Riga, 24-28 August 2011 |
Damian Murchan Elizabeth Oldham |
Exploring diagnostic error analysis methodologies in the context of e-assessment in primary-level mathematics. Annual meeting of the Association for Educational Assessment - Europe, Belfast, 10-12 November 2011. |
| Damian Murchan | The formative use of diagnostic assessments to support teaching and learning in mathematics. Proceedings of the International Conference: Assessment for Learning in the 21st Century, pp. 147-156. Ohrid, Macedonia, 23-23 May 2011. |
| Damian Murchan | An integrated testing-teaching approach to using diagnostic assessments to promote student learning in primary mathematics. Annual meeting of the Association for Educational Assessment Europe, Oslo, 4-6 November 2010. |
| Elizabeth Oldham | League tables: measures of quality or distractions from meaningful critique? in, editor(s)Imelda Elliott, Michael Murphy, Alain Payeur, Raymond Duval , Mutations de l'enseignement supérieur et internationalisation / Change in higher education and globalisation, Brussels, De Boeck, 2011, pp. 45 – 58. |
| Elizabeth Oldham | Changing the culture of learning in mathematics and science: facing the challenge in Ireland in, editor(s)Issa M. Saleh and Myint Swe Khine , Fostering scientific habits of mind: pedagogical content and best practices in science education, Rotterdam, Sense Publishers, 2009, pp. 295 – 317. |
B. Tangney E. Oldham C. Conneely E. Barrett J Lawlor |
Pedagogy and processes for a computer engineering outreach workshop – the B2C model, IEEE Transactions on Education, 53, (1), 2010, pp. 53 – 60. |
Research Students
| Title of research | |
| Isabel Blanco | A focus on learning styles for younger second language learners |
| Eamon Costello | The key influences, decision-making processes and stakeholders involved in the development of open source educational software |
| Majella Dempsey | Unlocking learning using key skills – myth or reality? |
| Alison Egan | An investigation into pre-service teachers' attitudes to technology |
| Helen Heneghan | The implementation of differentiation in language arts/literacy in elementary schools – a comparative study. |
| Weiming Liu | The use of Peer Teaching to create a transformative learning context |
| Peter John Lombard | Investigating the efficacy of blended learning and e-assessment on the learning process in a first year mathematics class within an Irish secondary school. |
| David Moroney | Threshold Concepts in Teacher Education |
| Ann O’Reilly | A model of professional identity for teachers in further education. |
| Patsy Stafford | Children’s understanding of place value |
Members of the Group