Randomised Controlled Trials in Education: An Experiment Worth Taking?
John O’Connor
Appropriately designed and implemented randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are increasingly promoted as the gold standard for objective evaluations of effectiveness and impact in education. The rise in the use of RCTs in education in many countries is based on the belief that by determining causal relationships between interventions and outcomes of interest, impartial measures of the effectiveness of specific policies and classroom practices can be established. There are longstanding concerns about the use of RCTs in the social sciences, and both the logic and the appropriateness of RCTs in education are hotly contested in the international literature. Not so in Ireland, however, where the topic has attracted little or no critical attention, and where there is no tradition of conducting large-scale RCTs in education. This article examines the key features of RCTs and their epistemological and ontological basis, situating the current wave of international interest in RCTs in education within a wider historical context. It then presents some of the main critiques and criticisms of RCTs in education before inviting educationalists with an interest in the use of educational research in policy and practice in Ireland to critically engage with the opportunities and challenges presented by RCTs. [DOWNLOAD PDF]
Mental Health Among Third-Level Students in Ireland During COVID-19
David Mothersill, Hau Nguyen, Gerard Loughnane, and April Hargreaves
This study aimed to examine levels of mental ill-health and predictive factors of mental ill-health in third-level students in Ireland during COVID-19. A total of 268 students completed an online questionnaire. LGBTI status, relationship status, caring for children, living location, international student status, having a preexisting mental health condition, and change in social life were entered into logistic regression analyses to examine whether these variables predicted probable diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), depression, or anxiety. Probable diagnosis is an estimate that the individual would receive a diagnosis of the condition after a more comprehensive assessment, based on their responses to survey questions about specific symptoms. Students who reported a negative change in their social life were over twice as likely to attain a probable diagnosis of PTSD or depression (with the former not statistically significant and the latter statistically significant). Given prior evidence that social isolation predicts negative mental health outcomes, and the association between negative change in social life and probable negative mental health outcomes observed in our study, future research should examine ways of increasing opportunities for social engagement among students attending online and blended third-level courses in Ireland. [DOWNLOAD PDF]
Exploring Staff Retention in Youthreach:Ireland’s Response to Early School Leaving
Sean Manley and Margaret Farren
A national review of Ireland’s Youthreach education programme for early school leavers found staff retention to be a future challenge for the programme (Smyth et al., 2019). With no previous research into staff retention in Youthreach, this study explores the unique characteristics of the programme to identify variables influencing staff intention to leave. This mixed-methods study used emerging themes from interviews with former staff to identify constructs of interest and select quantitative tools grounded in the culture and perspective of the participants. Analysis of the quantitative data included a hierarchical multiple regression model to assess the strength of the relationships between intention to leave and independent variables. Alongside complementing existing research on teacher retention, the study draws attention to emerging themes specific to Youthreach; the most significant of these being staff burnout, role equity, and work commitment, which are included in the final regression model. The study findings highlight the profound emotional impact that working with at-risk young people had on Youthreach staff. A strong sense of inequity in professional standing contributed to intention to leave and was a possible recruitment barrier. [DOWNLOAD PDF]
Considering Reform at Senior Cycle: Teachers’ Feelings and Beliefs About High-Stakes Assessment Following the Onset of COVID-19
Michael O’Leary and Zita Lysaght
In March 2022, the Minister for Education in Ireland announced her plans to redevelop senior cycle; in tandem, a press release from the Department of Education advised that the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and the State Examinations Commission (SEC), in consultation with education partners, would jointly research how an externally moderated, school-based form of assessment would operate. Hence, the stage seems set for potentially significant change to the Leaving Certificate Examination (LCE), after almost 100 years, despite vociferous teacher union opposition to its members’ involvement in assessment for certification. Against that backdrop, this article draws on the findings of two surveys that explored teachers’ feelings and beliefs about such involvement, based on their experiences of having to assess their own students’ work when COVID-19 necessitated the introduction of systems of calculated grades and accredited grades in 2020 and 2021. A key finding was that, while the majority of teachers reported not wanting to be involved in an assessment of this kind, a significant minority (approximately one in three) held different views, suggesting that individual teachers’ feelings and beliefs may not be immutable to change, despite collective union opposition. [DOWNLOAD PDF]
