Current Projects
The School is involved in a wide number of research projects at both national and international level:
Centre for Language and Communication Studies
- LUCIDE (EU KA2)
- CABÓIGÍN II (Foras na Gaeilge)
- CNGL (SFI)
- FASTNET (SFI)
- Corpas na Gaeilge Labhartha: GaLa (Foras na Gaeilge)
- An analysis of the views and experiences of schools that have voluntarily withdrawn from The Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative
Centre for Deaf Studies
- Hidden Histories - Intercultural Dialogue and Learning (EU: Grundtvig)
- D-SIGNS (Leonardo da Vinci)
- DEAFVOC (Leonardo da Vinci)
- SIGNALL 3 (Leonardo da Vinci)
- SIF II (HEA)
Clinical Speech and Language Studies
- BRIDGE-IT
- Aided Language Acquisition
- Analysis of autobiographical narratives of interpersonal communication in psychiatry
- Challenging the ‘disorder’ paradigm in the communication profiles of children with AD(H)D
- CONNECTing with the Community: Enhancing Student Learning through Structured Reflective Practice
- Co-Morbidity of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPRD) in individuals with dysphonia and/or vocal tract discomfort
- DEAP test standardization
- Humour and laughter in speech-language therapy interactions
- Language impairment and psychiatric disorders
- Life Course Narrative biography and the Construction of Happiness in Later Life
- Lifestyle factors Correlated with Well Being across the Lifespan
- Perceived Stress & Voice problems and/or Vocal Tract Discomfort in Pre-school, Primary, Second Level, Third level & Student Teachers in Ireland
- Perceptions and Experiences of People with Aphasia participating in a Conversation Partner Scheme
- Small talk in clinical interactions
- Student Learning and Experiences of Communication Disability within a Conversation Partner Scheme with People with Aphasia
- Systematic Review of Interventions for Drooling in Children with Cerebral Palsy
- Working memory and severe speech impairment
Analysis of autobiographical narratives of interpersonal communication in psychiatry
This research project involves the analysis of written first-person accounts of experiences of mental health disorders, from historical literature (e.g. Margery Kempe 17th Century) to more recent contemporary writings of artists and writers (e.g. van Gogh’s letters 19th Century, and novelist, Janet Frame in 20th Century).
For further details contact Dr Irene Walsh
Humour and laughter in speech-language therapy interactions
With an emphasis on conversational sociability, this research project explores- through discourse analysis - the forms, functions and phases of laughter and humour in speech-language therapy clinical interactions.
For further details contact Dr Irene Walsh
Challenging the ‘disorder’ paradigm in the communication profiles of children with AD(H)D
This research project looks at the language and communication profiles of children with AD (H)D and challenges the pervading perception from the literature and other sources that many of these children have pervasive pragmatic and discourse difficulties. This project is in collaboration with an SLT department in a Dublin based Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).
For further details contact Dr Irene Walsh
The Perceptions and Experiences of People with Aphasia participating in a Conversation Partner Scheme
The difficulties in communicating which are experienced by people with aphasia (an acquired communication disorder which frequently follows stroke) have a negative impact on their quality of life, frequently leading to isolation and loss of social networks. An innovative programme pioneered in the UK, the Conversation Partner Scheme (CPS) involves supported conversations for the person with aphasia, with pairs of students, on a regular basis. CPS allows people with aphasia living in the community to participate in conversations in an informal social setting, usually at home. This ongoing project aims to explore the perceptions and experiences of people with aphasia in a Conversation partner Scheme involving first year CSLS students.
For further details contact Caroline Jagoe
Student Learning and Experiences of Communication Disability within a Conversation Partner Scheme with People with Aphasia
The Conversation Partner Scheme is a service learning module in the JF CSLS course. The module seeks to facilitate civic engagement and skills development on the part of the students. This ongoing project aims to explore the learning and experiences of students engaged in this module.
For further details contact Caroline Jagoe
CONNECTing with the Community: Enhancing Student Learning through Structured Reflective Practice
Funding from the Service Learning Grant (Trinity College Dublin) has allowed the Department of Clinical Speech and Language Studies to engage the expertise of four people with aphasia in the process of re-designing the reflective practice component of the Conversation Partner Scheme. This research aims to explore the impact of the changes implemented on student learning and the quality of the service provided to people with aphasia.
For further details contact Caroline Jagoe
Co-Morbidity of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPRD) in individuals with dysphonia and/or vocal tract discomfort
For further information contact Dr. Pauline Sloane
Perceived Stress & Voice problems and/or Vocal Tract Discomfort in Pre-school, Primary, Second Level, Third level & Student Teachers in Ireland
For further information contact Dr. Pauline Sloane
Lifestyle factors Correlated with Well Being across the Lifespan
Funding: Atlantic Philanthropies
CO/PI with Dr John Garry, Queens University, Belfast.
For further information contact Dr. Kathleen McTiernan
Life Course Narrative biography and the Construction of Happiness in Later Life
For further information contact Dr. Kathleen McTiernan
Hidden Histories - Intercultural Dialogue and Learning
November 2010 - October 2012
Funding by: EU: Grundtvig programme
This project is funded by the EU (Grundtvig programme). The University of Sussex leads this, with partners in Ireland (Centre for Deaf Studies, TCD), Austria and Finland. The project focuses on the creation of digital archives of community experiences in rural, nomadic, and Deaf communities.
A key objective of this project is to increase the participation in lifelong learning of marginalised and disadvantaged groups and, as a result of this participation to increase their engagement with civic society and learning.
It fosters learning opportunities based on participation in local community activities, developing alternative and innovative ways of learning, and sharing good practice on intercultural education, learning by marginalized citizens and their linguistic, social and cultural inclusion.
For further information please contact Dr. Lorraine Leeson.
An analysis of the views and experiences of schools that have voluntarily withdrawn from The Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative
The Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative (MLPSI) currently operates in 15% of primary schools nationwide. As part of this Project French, German, Spanish and Italian are taught to pupils in fifth and sixth class in primary school. Since it began in 1998, a small number of schools have withdrawn annually for a variety of reasons. While there has been two evaluation reports written on the Project itself (Harris and Conway, 2002; Harris and O’Leary, 2009) and a feasibility study conducted on the teaching of modern languages in primary schools (NCCA, 2008), the views and experiences of schools that have voluntarily withdrawn from the Initiative have not been sought or documented to date. This Project examines the findings from a survey of Principals’/Schools that have withdrawn from the Initiative since its inception. It documents their views and experiences of the Initiative, their reasons for withdrawing from it, and it explores their views on the feasibility of teaching modern languages in primary schools more generally. It is hoped that the information collected will critically inform the future direction the Initiative itself might take and that the findings will feed into the broader debate on the teaching of languages in primary schools.
For further information please contact Denise O'Leary or Dr. John Harris.
BRIDGE-IT: Trinity Long Room Hub Murphy Innovation Fund
The Lifescapes (BRIDGE-IT) project is an interdisciplinary initiative which draws on research expertise from the TCD Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies, the School of English, the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and TCD Library. The Lifescapes Digital Archive may be viewed at http://bridge-it.tchpc.tcd.ie/.