Déirdre Ní Chróinín
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 6508863 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Déirdre Ní Chróinín |
| NOMBRES | Déirdre Ní |
| APELLIDO | Chróinín |
| FIRMA | CHRÓINÍN D N |
| AFILIACIONES | Mary Immaculate College |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0920-980X |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 33 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 57 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 33 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2011 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 5 |
Is meaningful physical education and social justice a complimentary combination? A physical education teacher educator collaborative self-study
Background Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) programmes are expected to support future teacher learning about contemporary innovations and big ideas for teaching physical education. Teacher educators are challenged to learn about and incorporate contemporary innovations while maintaining programme cohesion. Exploring how teacher educators make sense of and teach about innovations, such as ideas related to meaningfulness, alongside found…
Teachers’ enactment of contextualized instruction in primary physical education
Background Physical education is frequently criticized for limited transfer of learning beyond school and for experiences that do not sufficiently reflect students’ lives and communities. Grounded in sociocultural learning theory, contextualized instruction has been proposed as a pedagogical framework that supports teachers in being intentional in how they draw on students’ identities and local resources. Silseth and Erstad ([2018]. ‘Connecting t…
Professional learning through the lens of boundary crossing in an international physical education and sport pedagogy project
The aim of this research is to analyse the professional learning experiences of eight physical education and sport pedagogy (PESP) academics involved in an international project focused on supporting how coaches could prioritise meaningful experiences for children aged 6–12 years in youth sport contexts. Project participants partnered with coaches from youth sport clubs to create an accessible resource that volunteer coaches could use. Our focus …
Prioritising meaningful physical education experiences
Background Contemporary forms of professional development (CPD) in physical education are collaborative and based in learning communities, situated in teachers’ specific contexts, and based on teachers’ and students’ needs (Parker and Patton 2016. “What Research Tells Us about Effective Continuing Professional Development for Physical Education Teachers.” In The Routledge Handbook of Physical Education Pedagogies, edited by Catherine D. Ennis, 44…
Teachers’ sensemaking in implementation of Meaningful Physical Education
Background While PE has arguably changed little since the 1960s, there is a rich history of the development of innovations in PE pedagogy. A key challenge lies in the sustained and broad use of these innovations. Researchers have sought to understand how teachers implement these innovations in their classrooms and the factors that lead to their sustained use. The concept of sensemaking offers an avenue for considering the processes by which teach…
An illustrative account of youth participatory action research in a primary school
Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) is a growing practice which amplifies the voices of children in influencing decision-making about their lives. However, a better understanding of how to promote authentic participation in school-based YPAR is needed. Illustrative examples of YPAR led from within by teachers and children in primary schools are limited. This single instrumental case study design asks: How can YPAR operate in a primary scho…
The first decade of teachers’ professional lives
Evidence points to the importance of teachers’ early career experiences in influencing their development, yet synthesised accounts that holistically capture evidence of teachers’ professional lives in the first decade of teaching is lacking. Framed by theoretical perspectives on teacher development, this scoping review sought to identify the extent and type of evidence in relation to primary, post-primary and further education teachers’ experienc…
Growing voice
Despite growing research highlighting the value of student voice practices (SVPs) in enhancing engagement and enriching children's learning experiences, SVPs remain uncommon in primary physical education (PE) ( Iannucci and Parker, 2022a ). The purpose of this research was to gain insight into children's experiences of SVPs in primary PE, offering insight into how SVPs can be integrated into regular PE practice. A multi-site qualitative case stud…
Two teachers’ positioning toward Meaningful PE
Background: Although physical education teachers can choose from a wide variety of pedagogical innovations to inform their practice, many typically do not engage in sustained adoption. Some suggest this may be because many innovations are mandated and do not align with teachers’ identities and their personal beliefs about teaching and learning. In this way, teachers actively position themselves in relation to innovations they encounter. The purpo…
‘Bearing witness to negativity’
Contemporary educational discourse is filled with references to ‘the future’ and ‘the futures of education.’ In September 2024, the United Nations (UN) will host a Summit of the Future, billed as a
Teachers learning to use student voice in primary physical education – ready, steady, go
Primary physical education lags behind student voice developments in research and practice internationally ( Gillett-Swan and Baroutsis, 2023 ) and in post-primary physical education ( Howley and O'Sullivan, 2021 ; Iannucci and Parker, 2022a ). Furthermore, evidence is lacking on how to guide primary teachers learning to implement student voice pedagogies in physical education successfully. This research begins to fill this gap by focusing on the…
Exploring teacher educator pedagogical decision-making about a combined pedagogy of social justice and meaningful physical education
Teacher educators shape curriculum in the pedagogical decisions they make ( Lunenberg et al., 2007 ). Yet, evidence is lacking about how physical education (PE) teacher educators make decisions about what to include in their teacher education pedagogies. Four teacher educators in four different PE teacher education (PETE) programmes collaborated to examine their decision-making as they explored ideas related to Meaningful PE and social justice pe…
‘Just let them have a say!’ Students’ perspective of student voice pedagogies in primary physical education
While student voice pedagogies have been cited as a powerful educational tool in engaging children in the learning process, the perspectives of primary-aged children on using these pedagogies as part of everyday practice need to be considered. Within this research, student voice pedagogies were implemented as part of one teacher’s regular primary physical education (PE) practice and children’s perspectives of these pedagogies were explored. Quali…
Learning to facilitate student voice in primary physical education
Student voice pedagogies in physical education (PE) offer teachers a mechanism to promote meaningful experiences by actively engaging students in decision-making regarding their learning. Over one academic year, the experiences of one generalist classroom teacher's enactment of student voice pedagogies in their primary PE practice were explored within a Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practice (S-STTEP) frame. Data sources included p…
Pedagogical principles that support the prioritisation of meaningful experiences in physical education
Background An emphasis on meaningfulness may facilitate the types of experiences that are more likely to lead children towards a commitment to physical activity participation in ways that enrich the quality of their lives. While several authors have highlighted the importance of prioritising meaningfulness, direction is lacking on how teachers can consistently and intentionally foster meaningful experiences for pupils in physical education.Purpos…
Digital education futures
(2022). Digital education futures: design for doing education differently. Irish Educational Studies: Vol. 41, Digital Education Futures: Design for Doing Education Differently, Guest Editors: Tony Hall, Rupert Wegerif, Suzanna Loper, Déirdre Ní Chróinín and Emma O'Brien, pp. 1-4
It's not a linear thing; there are a lot of intersecting circles
The purpose of this research was to examine factors that influenced how 12 elementary teachers implemented the Meaningful Physical Education innovation in their classrooms. Qualitative data were collected over 15 months. Analysis was guided conceptually by factors that influence innovation implementation. Results showed that implementation was most strongly influenced by teachers' prior experiences and beliefs, teachers' perceptions of students’ …
Covid-19 and education
According to the UN (2020), almost 1.6 billion people, or circa one-fifth of the world’s population, across 190 countries and all continents, have been impacted in terms of disruption to education
It’s how PE should be!’
Meaningful Physical Education (PE) is a pedagogical approach to PE instruction designed with the aim of helping teachers explicitly prioritise meaningful experiences for students. The purpose of the current study was to conduct a small-scale implementation of a preliminary version of Meaningful PE with a sample of five primary classroom teachers in Ireland to receive their feedback on the approach and their experiences of implementing it in their…
A major review of stakeholder perspectives on the purposes of primary physical education
While there may be some broad agreement about the purposes of primary physical education, there is dramatic variance in how these purposes are prioritised and enacted. Primary physical education consequently focusses on multiple, often competing, priorities. To gain a better understanding of this issue we review how different stakeholders view the purposes of primary physical education. We analysed 95 qualitative studies published between 2000 an…
Pre-service teachers articulating their learning about meaningful physical education
The purpose of this research was to examine pre-service teachers’ articulation of their learning through the development of a shared professional language of teaching practice focused on meaningful physical education. Qualitative data gathered from 90 pre-service teachers over four years in Canada and Ireland were analysed. Framed by a didactical research framework, pre-service teachers used elements of the shared language to articulate why they …
A focus on the how of meaningful physical education in primary schools
In line with recent calls for clearer connections to be made between the why, what and how of physical education, there has been a renewed emphasis on the value of promoting meaningful experiences for young people. While attention had been paid to the why and what of meaningful physical education, less has been directed toward the how. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine ways that the features of meaningful experiences (the what) …
The world is a happier place’
Understanding factors that influence children’s participation in sport and physical activity is critical to designing more appealing youth opportunities and programmes. Whole-of-school initiatives offer one way to promote children’s physical activity, but little is understood about how celebration within these initiatives influences children’s physical activity behaviours. Through this study we aimed to answer the question: what are participants’…
Playing to our strengths
Class swapping is the process whereby a generalist primary school teacher with a particular subject expertise and interest swaps classes with a teacher colleague and they teach each other’s class a specific area of the curriculum. Instances of class swapping for physical education (PE) have been noted in many countries, but there is currently no explicit research into this practice. Consequently, this research investigated the experiences of two …
Using features of meaningful experiences to guide primary physical education practice
Providing meaningful experiences in physical education has long been identified as a key objective for teachers to strive toward. Supported by a critical friend, a beginning teacher used self-study methodology to analyse ways she drew from the features of meaningful experiences to guide her planning and instruction in primary physical education. Data from a striking/fielding games (e.g. softball, cricket) unit were collected and analysed. Results…
A focus on the how of meaningful physical education in primary schools
In line with recent calls for clearer connections to be made between the why, what and how of physical education, there has been a renewed emphasis on the value of promoting meaningful experiences for young people. While attention had been paid to the why and what of meaningful physical education, less has been directed toward the how. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine ways that the features of meaningful experiences (the what) …
It’s how PE should be!’
Meaningful Physical Education (PE) is a pedagogical approach to PE instruction designed with the aim of helping teachers explicitly prioritise meaningful experiences for students. The purpose of the current study was to conduct a small-scale implementation of a preliminary version of Meaningful PE with a sample of five primary classroom teachers in Ireland to receive their feedback on the approach and their experiences of implementing it in their…
The impact of initial teacher education on understandings of physical education
Evaluation of professional socialisation can provide insight on the impact of Physical Education Teacher Education. A large-scale ( n=326) single question ‘What is PE?’ qualitative methodology was used to access pre-service primary teachers’ understandings of the nature and purpose of physical education . Data analysis involved word frequency queries and coding using a qualitative coding framework based on the dominant discourses of physical educ…
Using features of meaningful experiences to guide primary physical education practice
Providing meaningful experiences in physical education has long been identified as a key objective for teachers to strive toward. Supported by a critical friend, a beginning teacher used self-study methodology to analyse ways she drew from the features of meaningful experiences to guide her planning and instruction in primary physical education. Data from a striking/fielding games (e.g. softball, cricket) unit were collected and analysed. Results…
Beginning teacher standards for physical education
It's not a linear thing; there are a lot of intersecting circles
The purpose of this research was to examine factors that influenced how 12 elementary teachers implemented the Meaningful Physical Education innovation in their classrooms. Qualitative data were collected over 15 months. Analysis was guided conceptually by factors that influence innovation implementation. Results showed that implementation was most strongly influenced by teachers' prior experiences and beliefs, teachers' perceptions of students’ …
Drawing’ conclusions
This study explores the relationship between primary school physical education and physical activity as sites for the practice of physical activity of Irish primary school children. Understanding how children make connections between physical activity sites is important in shaping physical education experiences that promote lifelong participation. Children’s (aged 8–11) awareness, knowledge, and understanding of physical activity and physical edu…
Digital video
Technology can support teaching, learning and assessment in physical education. The purpose of this study was to examine children’s perspectives and experiences of using digital video in primary physical education. The impact on motivation, feedback, self-assessment and learning was examined. Twenty-three children aged 9–10 years participated in a 10-week intervention which focused on learning basketball skills. Digital video was used to provide …
What is PE
Physical education is a socially constructed activity that forms one component of a wider physical culture that includes sport and health/physical activity . The terms sport and physical education are often used interchangeably in school contexts, where sport and health continue to shape what is understood by the term physical education. This study explores discourses shaping pre-service primary teachers' understandings of the nature and purposes…
Teachers learning to use student voice in primary physical education – ready, steady, go
Primary physical education lags behind student voice developments in research and practice internationally ( Gillett-Swan and Baroutsis, 2023 ) and in post-primary physical education ( Howley and O'Sullivan, 2021 ; Iannucci and Parker, 2022a ). Furthermore, evidence is lacking on how to guide primary teachers learning to implement student voice pedagogies in physical education successfully. This research begins to fill this gap by focusing on the…
Pre-service teachers articulating their learning about meaningful physical education
The purpose of this research was to examine pre-service teachers’ articulation of their learning through the development of a shared professional language of teaching practice focused on meaningful physical education. Qualitative data gathered from 90 pre-service teachers over four years in Canada and Ireland were analysed. Framed by a didactical research framework, pre-service teachers used elements of the shared language to articulate why they …
Learning to facilitate student voice in primary physical education
Student voice pedagogies in physical education (PE) offer teachers a mechanism to promote meaningful experiences by actively engaging students in decision-making regarding their learning. Over one academic year, the experiences of one generalist classroom teacher's enactment of student voice pedagogies in their primary PE practice were explored within a Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practice (S-STTEP) frame. Data sources included p…
Attaining the Active School Flag
The provision of regular physical activity opportunities has the potential to have positive health benefits for children. This study used qualitative interviews and focus groups to examine the experiences of two Irish primary school communities as they worked to attain an Active School Flag. The data suggest that engagement in this formal physical activity initiative impacts positively on children’s engagement in physical activity. Schools were e…
Exploring teacher educator pedagogical decision-making about a combined pedagogy of social justice and meaningful physical education
Teacher educators shape curriculum in the pedagogical decisions they make ( Lunenberg et al., 2007 ). Yet, evidence is lacking about how physical education (PE) teacher educators make decisions about what to include in their teacher education pedagogies. Four teacher educators in four different PE teacher education (PETE) programmes collaborated to examine their decision-making as they explored ideas related to Meaningful PE and social justice pe…
Playing to our strengths
Class swapping is the process whereby a generalist primary school teacher with a particular subject expertise and interest swaps classes with a teacher colleague and they teach each other’s class a specific area of the curriculum. Instances of class swapping for physical education (PE) have been noted in many countries, but there is currently no explicit research into this practice. Consequently, this research investigated the experiences of two …
What is PE
Physical education is a socially constructed activity that forms one component of a wider physical culture that includes sport and health/physical activity . The terms sport and physical education are often used interchangeably in school contexts, where sport and health continue to shape what is understood by the term physical education. This study explores discourses shaping pre-service primary teachers' understandings of the nature and purposes…
Beginning teacher standards for physical education
The impact of initial teacher education on understandings of physical education
Evaluation of professional socialisation can provide insight on the impact of Physical Education Teacher Education. A large-scale ( n=326) single question ‘What is PE?’ qualitative methodology was used to access pre-service primary teachers’ understandings of the nature and purpose of physical education . Data analysis involved word frequency queries and coding using a qualitative coding framework based on the dominant discourses of physical educ…
Digital video
Technology can support teaching, learning and assessment in physical education. The purpose of this study was to examine children’s perspectives and experiences of using digital video in primary physical education. The impact on motivation, feedback, self-assessment and learning was examined. Twenty-three children aged 9–10 years participated in a 10-week intervention which focused on learning basketball skills. Digital video was used to provide …
Using self-study to explore the processes of pedagogical innovation in physical education teacher education
This collaborative self-study examined the experiences of two teacher educators who developed and implemented a pedagogical approach that prioritised learning how to facilitate meaningful physical education (PE) experiences in their physical education teacher education programs. Data sources included 33 individual planning and reflection documents, 33 critical friend responses and transcriptions of over 7 hours of skype conversations, which were …
Meaningful Experiences in Physical Education and Youth Sport
The purpose of this research is to review the literature about young people’s meaningful experiences in physical education and youth sport. We reviewed 50 empirical peer-reviewed articles published in English since 1987. Five themes were identified as central influences to young people’s meaningful experiences in physical education and sport: social interaction, fun, challenge, motor competence, and personally relevant learning. These themes prov…
Drawing’ conclusions
This study explores the relationship between primary school physical education and physical activity as sites for the practice of physical activity of Irish primary school children. Understanding how children make connections between physical activity sites is important in shaping physical education experiences that promote lifelong participation. Children’s (aged 8–11) awareness, knowledge, and understanding of physical activity and physical edu…
Attaining the Active School Flag
The provision of regular physical activity opportunities has the potential to have positive health benefits for children. This study used qualitative interviews and focus groups to examine the experiences of two Irish primary school communities as they worked to attain an Active School Flag. The data suggest that engagement in this formal physical activity initiative impacts positively on children’s engagement in physical activity. Schools were e…
Using features of meaningful experiences to guide primary physical education practice
Providing meaningful experiences in physical education has long been identified as a key objective for teachers to strive toward. Supported by a critical friend, a beginning teacher used self-study methodology to analyse ways she drew from the features of meaningful experiences to guide her planning and instruction in primary physical education. Data from a striking/fielding games (e.g. softball, cricket) unit were collected and analysed. Results…
A focus on the how of meaningful physical education in primary schools
In line with recent calls for clearer connections to be made between the why, what and how of physical education, there has been a renewed emphasis on the value of promoting meaningful experiences for young people. While attention had been paid to the why and what of meaningful physical education, less has been directed toward the how. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine ways that the features of meaningful experiences (the what) …
The world is a happier place’
Understanding factors that influence children’s participation in sport and physical activity is critical to designing more appealing youth opportunities and programmes. Whole-of-school initiatives offer one way to promote children’s physical activity, but little is understood about how celebration within these initiatives influences children’s physical activity behaviours. Through this study we aimed to answer the question: what are participants’…
Playing to our strengths
Class swapping is the process whereby a generalist primary school teacher with a particular subject expertise and interest swaps classes with a teacher colleague and they teach each other’s class a specific area of the curriculum. Instances of class swapping for physical education (PE) have been noted in many countries, but there is currently no explicit research into this practice. Consequently, this research investigated the experiences of two …
A major review of stakeholder perspectives on the purposes of primary physical education
While there may be some broad agreement about the purposes of primary physical education, there is dramatic variance in how these purposes are prioritised and enacted. Primary physical education consequently focusses on multiple, often competing, priorities. To gain a better understanding of this issue we review how different stakeholders view the purposes of primary physical education. We analysed 95 qualitative studies published between 2000 an…
Pre-service teachers articulating their learning about meaningful physical education
The purpose of this research was to examine pre-service teachers’ articulation of their learning through the development of a shared professional language of teaching practice focused on meaningful physical education. Qualitative data gathered from 90 pre-service teachers over four years in Canada and Ireland were analysed. Framed by a didactical research framework, pre-service teachers used elements of the shared language to articulate why they …
Covid-19 and education
According to the UN (2020), almost 1.6 billion people, or circa one-fifth of the world’s population, across 190 countries and all continents, have been impacted in terms of disruption to education
It’s how PE should be!’
Meaningful Physical Education (PE) is a pedagogical approach to PE instruction designed with the aim of helping teachers explicitly prioritise meaningful experiences for students. The purpose of the current study was to conduct a small-scale implementation of a preliminary version of Meaningful PE with a sample of five primary classroom teachers in Ireland to receive their feedback on the approach and their experiences of implementing it in their…
Pedagogical principles that support the prioritisation of meaningful experiences in physical education
Background An emphasis on meaningfulness may facilitate the types of experiences that are more likely to lead children towards a commitment to physical activity participation in ways that enrich the quality of their lives. While several authors have highlighted the importance of prioritising meaningfulness, direction is lacking on how teachers can consistently and intentionally foster meaningful experiences for pupils in physical education.Purpos…
Digital education futures
(2022). Digital education futures: design for doing education differently. Irish Educational Studies: Vol. 41, Digital Education Futures: Design for Doing Education Differently, Guest Editors: Tony Hall, Rupert Wegerif, Suzanna Loper, Déirdre Ní Chróinín and Emma O'Brien, pp. 1-4
It's not a linear thing; there are a lot of intersecting circles
The purpose of this research was to examine factors that influenced how 12 elementary teachers implemented the Meaningful Physical Education innovation in their classrooms. Qualitative data were collected over 15 months. Analysis was guided conceptually by factors that influence innovation implementation. Results showed that implementation was most strongly influenced by teachers' prior experiences and beliefs, teachers' perceptions of students’ …
‘Just let them have a say!’ Students’ perspective of student voice pedagogies in primary physical education
While student voice pedagogies have been cited as a powerful educational tool in engaging children in the learning process, the perspectives of primary-aged children on using these pedagogies as part of everyday practice need to be considered. Within this research, student voice pedagogies were implemented as part of one teacher’s regular primary physical education (PE) practice and children’s perspectives of these pedagogies were explored. Quali…
Learning to facilitate student voice in primary physical education
Student voice pedagogies in physical education (PE) offer teachers a mechanism to promote meaningful experiences by actively engaging students in decision-making regarding their learning. Over one academic year, the experiences of one generalist classroom teacher's enactment of student voice pedagogies in their primary PE practice were explored within a Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practice (S-STTEP) frame. Data sources included p…
Two teachers’ positioning toward Meaningful PE
Background: Although physical education teachers can choose from a wide variety of pedagogical innovations to inform their practice, many typically do not engage in sustained adoption. Some suggest this may be because many innovations are mandated and do not align with teachers’ identities and their personal beliefs about teaching and learning. In this way, teachers actively position themselves in relation to innovations they encounter. The purpo…
‘Bearing witness to negativity’
Contemporary educational discourse is filled with references to ‘the future’ and ‘the futures of education.’ In September 2024, the United Nations (UN) will host a Summit of the Future, billed as a
Teachers learning to use student voice in primary physical education – ready, steady, go
Primary physical education lags behind student voice developments in research and practice internationally ( Gillett-Swan and Baroutsis, 2023 ) and in post-primary physical education ( Howley and O'Sullivan, 2021 ; Iannucci and Parker, 2022a ). Furthermore, evidence is lacking on how to guide primary teachers learning to implement student voice pedagogies in physical education successfully. This research begins to fill this gap by focusing on the…
Exploring teacher educator pedagogical decision-making about a combined pedagogy of social justice and meaningful physical education
Teacher educators shape curriculum in the pedagogical decisions they make ( Lunenberg et al., 2007 ). Yet, evidence is lacking about how physical education (PE) teacher educators make decisions about what to include in their teacher education pedagogies. Four teacher educators in four different PE teacher education (PETE) programmes collaborated to examine their decision-making as they explored ideas related to Meaningful PE and social justice pe…
Physical Education and Pedagogy (26 obras) · Psychology (26 obras) · Physical education (24 obras) · Inclusion and Disability in Education and Sport (23 obras) · Pedagogy (23 obras) · Sociology (20 obras) · Mathematics education (18 obras) · Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports (13 obras) · Qualitative research (13 obras) · Computer Science (10 obras)