Una O'Connor
Biographic Data
| ID | 4538373 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Una O'Connor |
| GIVEN NAMES | Una |
| FAMILY NAME | O'Connor |
| SIGNATURE | CONNOR U O |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Ulster |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9430-347X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 12 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Perceptions and experiences on the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs in post-primary Physical Education
A fundamental human right, inclusion in mainstream Physical Education (PE) supports the holistic development of a child with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Despite a continued rise in prevalence and complexity of SEN in the Northern Irish (NI) post-primary sector, there is an absence of research in NI relating to how the inclusion of pupils with SEN is supported within PE. This scoping review aims to contextualise inclusive PE in mainstream pos…
Supporting children with dyslexia in primary school settings through effective professional development of teachers and classroom assistants
Negative educational, social and emotional outcomes regarding dyslexia are evident in the literature. The purpose of this scoping review is to examine the international research to identify the theoretical frameworks, key components, teacher and student outcome measures and barriers/facilitators of professional development (PD) interventions aimed at helping teachers and/or classroom assistants (CAs) support children with dyslexia in primary scho…
Classroom assistant roles and deployment models
The aim of this scoping review is to explore wider international literature to contextualise the role and deployment of classroom assistants in Northern Ireland. A paucity of research in this regional context has severely constrained understandings of a pivotal workforce in mainstream schools, so the review is unique in its contribution to redressing a significant knowledge gap. A review of studies published between 2012 and 2022 returned 135 uni…
Education along border regions in Ireland
This research examines primary schooling in border communities in Ireland. • It is the first formal research into travel across the Irish border for education. • Primary schools serve diverse communities, some of which straddle the border. • The future of the border will impact on education in these communities. A one-year research project with communities along the border in Ireland, the only land border between the UK and the European Union, ex…
School partnerships in a post-conflict society
In societies emerging from conflict, education plays an important part in instituting peace and reconciliation, and school leaders are key to this. This paper examines the complexity of school leadership in Northern Ireland. Despite the peace agreement of 1998, Northern Ireland’s communities are still deeply divided, and this is reflected in education. The school leaders who were interviewed as part of this research work within school partnership…
“Education cannot cease”
This paper reports the research findings from an online survey of parents of primary-age pupils in Northern Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aims of the study were to explore how parents supported their child/ren's home learning; to ascertain the communication, guidance and resources between home and school; and to learn from the experiences of parents to enable more effective practices to be established should similar circumstances aris…
Exploring the role and experience of classroom assistants supporting pupils with visual impairment
The role of the classroom assistant (CA) is considered pivotal in inclusive provision for pupils with additional needs. CAs’ support of pupils who have a visual impairment (VI) is greatly underreported in the literature. Scaffolding theory was applied to investigate the role of CAs in supporting pupils who have a VI in mainstream schools in Northern Ireland, UK. Focus groups were conducted with 18 CAs who were embarking on an accredited VI-focuse…
Community Conversations
How can Community Conversations be used to give communities a voice in policy decisions? This paper is a response to the challenge of engaging citizens in inclusive, meaningful dialogue and deliberation on potentially sensitive policy topics that affect their lives and to create a bridge between individual, community and policy perspectives. This dual aim therefore is to give individuals and communities a stronger voice in key decisions affecting…
It is changed beyond all recognition
The assistant workforce is a constituent presence in all schools. Progressive reconfiguration of the role has resulted in a hybrid position, with assistants customarily navigating power relationships in the hierarchy of the school. This paper employs Bourdieu’s theory of social fields, in particular, his system of relations, as a means to consider the intersection of habitus and capital amongst assistants in special schools in Northern Ireland. U…
In need of review
The impact of Sensory Processing Difficulties across a range of Special Educational Needs is well researched. More recently, the impact on children’s mental health and well‐being, linked with anxiety, depression and self‐injurious behaviours, have redirected international research to consider the holistic benefits of sensory provision, for those with special educational provision and the wider classroom population. A SMART SURVEY was designed to …
Collaborative classroom practice for inclusion
Collaborative practice is integral to effective inclusion. Within schools, teacher collaboration can foster communities of practice through a series of professional relationships that enhance the educational experience and learning outcomes of pupils with special educational needs (SEN). In Ireland, Learning Support Teachers (LSTs) and Resource Teachers (RTs) provide additional support to the increasing numbers of children with SEN in mainstream …
Citizenship education in divided societies
This article aimed to investigate in what ways teachers' developing understandings of citizenship education in a divided society reflect discourses around national citizenship and controversial issues. Based on thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 13 post-primary teachers in Northern Ireland undertaking an in-service programme in citizenship, findings indicate that the controversial nature of past conflict maintains its sensitivit…
Schools together
In divided societies education for diversity, often introduced via the combined approaches of civic education, citizenship education and community-relations activity, is advocated as a core element of the school curriculum. Its delivery, through formal and non-formal educational approaches, has been routinely recognised as an opportunity for interactive learning, offering intellectual, social and emotional advantages to all involved. From its roo…
Parental concerns on inclusion
The relationship between home and school is an integral feature of how pupils learn and parents have a central role to play in their child’s education. Philosophical and practical discourse around inclusion has informed and directed inclusive policy in recent years. In Northern Ireland, it has latterly been conducted under the auspices of emerging and revised legislation that is intended to promote the rights of children with special educational …
Collaborative classroom practice for inclusion
Collaborative practice is integral to effective inclusion. Within schools, teacher collaboration can foster communities of practice through a series of professional relationships that enhance the educational experience and learning outcomes of pupils with special educational needs (SEN). In Ireland, Learning Support Teachers (LSTs) and Resource Teachers (RTs) provide additional support to the increasing numbers of children with SEN in mainstream …
Citizenship education in divided societies
This article aimed to investigate in what ways teachers' developing understandings of citizenship education in a divided society reflect discourses around national citizenship and controversial issues. Based on thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 13 post-primary teachers in Northern Ireland undertaking an in-service programme in citizenship, findings indicate that the controversial nature of past conflict maintains its sensitivit…
Schools together
In divided societies education for diversity, often introduced via the combined approaches of civic education, citizenship education and community-relations activity, is advocated as a core element of the school curriculum. Its delivery, through formal and non-formal educational approaches, has been routinely recognised as an opportunity for interactive learning, offering intellectual, social and emotional advantages to all involved. From its roo…
Parental concerns on inclusion
The relationship between home and school is an integral feature of how pupils learn and parents have a central role to play in their child’s education. Philosophical and practical discourse around inclusion has informed and directed inclusive policy in recent years. In Northern Ireland, it has latterly been conducted under the auspices of emerging and revised legislation that is intended to promote the rights of children with special educational …
Schools together
In divided societies education for diversity, often introduced via the combined approaches of civic education, citizenship education and community-relations activity, is advocated as a core element of the school curriculum. Its delivery, through formal and non-formal educational approaches, has been routinely recognised as an opportunity for interactive learning, offering intellectual, social and emotional advantages to all involved. From its roo…
Citizenship education in divided societies
This article aimed to investigate in what ways teachers' developing understandings of citizenship education in a divided society reflect discourses around national citizenship and controversial issues. Based on thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 13 post-primary teachers in Northern Ireland undertaking an in-service programme in citizenship, findings indicate that the controversial nature of past conflict maintains its sensitivit…
Collaborative classroom practice for inclusion
Collaborative practice is integral to effective inclusion. Within schools, teacher collaboration can foster communities of practice through a series of professional relationships that enhance the educational experience and learning outcomes of pupils with special educational needs (SEN). In Ireland, Learning Support Teachers (LSTs) and Resource Teachers (RTs) provide additional support to the increasing numbers of children with SEN in mainstream …
Community Conversations
How can Community Conversations be used to give communities a voice in policy decisions? This paper is a response to the challenge of engaging citizens in inclusive, meaningful dialogue and deliberation on potentially sensitive policy topics that affect their lives and to create a bridge between individual, community and policy perspectives. This dual aim therefore is to give individuals and communities a stronger voice in key decisions affecting…
It is changed beyond all recognition
The assistant workforce is a constituent presence in all schools. Progressive reconfiguration of the role has resulted in a hybrid position, with assistants customarily navigating power relationships in the hierarchy of the school. This paper employs Bourdieu’s theory of social fields, in particular, his system of relations, as a means to consider the intersection of habitus and capital amongst assistants in special schools in Northern Ireland. U…
In need of review
The impact of Sensory Processing Difficulties across a range of Special Educational Needs is well researched. More recently, the impact on children’s mental health and well‐being, linked with anxiety, depression and self‐injurious behaviours, have redirected international research to consider the holistic benefits of sensory provision, for those with special educational provision and the wider classroom population. A SMART SURVEY was designed to …
School partnerships in a post-conflict society
In societies emerging from conflict, education plays an important part in instituting peace and reconciliation, and school leaders are key to this. This paper examines the complexity of school leadership in Northern Ireland. Despite the peace agreement of 1998, Northern Ireland’s communities are still deeply divided, and this is reflected in education. The school leaders who were interviewed as part of this research work within school partnership…
“Education cannot cease”
This paper reports the research findings from an online survey of parents of primary-age pupils in Northern Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aims of the study were to explore how parents supported their child/ren's home learning; to ascertain the communication, guidance and resources between home and school; and to learn from the experiences of parents to enable more effective practices to be established should similar circumstances aris…
Exploring the role and experience of classroom assistants supporting pupils with visual impairment
The role of the classroom assistant (CA) is considered pivotal in inclusive provision for pupils with additional needs. CAs’ support of pupils who have a visual impairment (VI) is greatly underreported in the literature. Scaffolding theory was applied to investigate the role of CAs in supporting pupils who have a VI in mainstream schools in Northern Ireland, UK. Focus groups were conducted with 18 CAs who were embarking on an accredited VI-focuse…
Education along border regions in Ireland
This research examines primary schooling in border communities in Ireland. • It is the first formal research into travel across the Irish border for education. • Primary schools serve diverse communities, some of which straddle the border. • The future of the border will impact on education in these communities. A one-year research project with communities along the border in Ireland, the only land border between the UK and the European Union, ex…
Supporting children with dyslexia in primary school settings through effective professional development of teachers and classroom assistants
Negative educational, social and emotional outcomes regarding dyslexia are evident in the literature. The purpose of this scoping review is to examine the international research to identify the theoretical frameworks, key components, teacher and student outcome measures and barriers/facilitators of professional development (PD) interventions aimed at helping teachers and/or classroom assistants (CAs) support children with dyslexia in primary scho…
Classroom assistant roles and deployment models
The aim of this scoping review is to explore wider international literature to contextualise the role and deployment of classroom assistants in Northern Ireland. A paucity of research in this regional context has severely constrained understandings of a pivotal workforce in mainstream schools, so the review is unique in its contribution to redressing a significant knowledge gap. A review of studies published between 2012 and 2022 returned 135 uni…
Perceptions and experiences on the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs in post-primary Physical Education
A fundamental human right, inclusion in mainstream Physical Education (PE) supports the holistic development of a child with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Despite a continued rise in prevalence and complexity of SEN in the Northern Irish (NI) post-primary sector, there is an absence of research in NI relating to how the inclusion of pupils with SEN is supported within PE. This scoping review aims to contextualise inclusive PE in mainstream pos…
Political science (12 works) · Pedagogy (10 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Collaborative Teaching and Inclusion (6 works) · Public relations (6 works) · Social science (5 works) · Mainstream (4 works) · Mainstreaming (4 works) · Special education (4 works)