Department of Applied Social Science

Effectiveness of a minecraft education intervention for improving spatial thinking in primary school children: A mixed methods two-level cluster randomised trial

Slattery, Eadaoin J.; Butler, Deirdre; Marshall, Kevin; Barrett, Michael; Hyland, Neeve; O'Leary, Michael; McAvinue, Laura P. (Elsevier, 2024-09-02)

Background: Spatial thinking plays a crucial role in STEM success. Minecraft Education, a digital game-based learning platform, provides opportunities for developing students’ spatial thinking while supporting curricular ...

Exploring Imagined Temporalities in Resettlement Workers’ Narratives: Renegotiating Temporal and Emotional Boundaries in Post-Brexit Britain

Moran, Lisa; Forde, Leona; McGovern, Mark (Springer Nature, 2024-01-17)

This paper develops the concept of ‘imagined temporalities’ to explore multiple temporal subjectivities, time cultures, ‘myths’, and realities evident in interviews with resettlement workers who were part of the Syrian ...

Evaluation of a School-Based Attention Training Program for Improving Sustained Attention

Éadaoin J., Slattery; Ryan, Patrick; Fortune, Donal. G; McAvinue, Laura P. (International Mind, Brain, and Education Society and Wiley Periodicals LLC., 2024-02)

This study evaluated the impact of a theory-driven cognitive attention training program, Keeping Score!, in improving students' sustained attention capacity. Training was based on sustained updating. Students engaged this ...

A spatial examination of alcohol availability and the level of disadvantage of schools in Ireland

Houghton, Frank; Doyle, Anne; Foley, Ronan (BMC Public Health, 2024-03-13)

Background: The availability of alcohol is a major factor in underage drinking and according to the alcohol harm paradox, those living in more deprived communities are more susceptible to the negative consequences of ...

Combatting Isolation in Research, using an Online Community.

Barry, Jenna; Corcoran, Niall; Cannon, Matthew (GEANTtv, 2023-07-07)

Presentation by GÉANT Future Talent Programme 2023 participant Jenna Barry, from Technical University of the Shannon. Supported by the Irish NREN HEAnet. Jenna is currently doing a PhD in Intellectual and Social Isolation ...

Some Dance to Remember: Exploring the Psychosocial Effects of the Introduction of an Adaptive Irish Céilí Dance Group Activity with People Living with Dementia and their Carers

O'Shea, Sean Donal (Limerick Institute of Technology, 2021-08)

There are currently 64,000 people living with dementia in Ireland and this figure is expected to rise to 150,000 by 2045. To date, a biomedical approach to managing the condition has been primarily adopted however, ...

“Can I still say Dad?”: An Exploration of Loss and Grief Experienced by Irish Adult Transgender Women and their Families

Lacey, Vanessa (Limerick Institute of Technology, 2021-05)

In recent times, there has been an emergence of transgender visibility in Ireland, with some positive changes in social attitudes regarding transgender issues (McGuire et al, 2016). However, transgender people, who ...

“I Cry For Those Kids; Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Loss and Grief Experienced”

O'Connor, Michelle (Limerick Institute of Technology, 2015-07-01)

Grandparents have traditionally stepped in as care givers during a time of crises in the first generational family and have been referred to as ‘family watchdogs’ (Troll 1983 cited in Gladstone et Brown 2007). However, ...

Death cafés as a strategy to foster compassionate communities: Contributions for death and grief literacy

Stritch, Jennifer Moran; Laranjeira, Carlos; Dixe, Maria Anjos; Querido, Ana (Frontiers in Psychology, 2022-08-02)

The death-positive movement, the most recent manifestation of the death awareness movement, contends that modern society is suffering from a “death taboo” and that people should talk more openly about death (Koksvik and ...

Lost & Found in Limerick: exploring the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees who have made Limerick their home.

Ryan, Michelle (Limerick Institute of Technology, 2021-05-01)

This research explores the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees who reside or have resided in the Irish system of Direct Provision through the lens of loss and grief. It is an exploration of the lived experience ...

Connecting the Person by Removing the Stigma: Why Ireland Should Follow the Portuguese Model of Drug Decriminalisation

Stritch, Jennifer Moran; Finucane, Aisling (South Eastern European Journal of Public Health, 2022-07-26)

The decriminalisation of drugs and how it can impact addiction, crime and mental health is a subject that inspires global interest and debate. Much has been written about the positive outcomes of decriminalisation from a ...

Sexual, Domestic, and Gender-based Abuse A collection of experience and opinion

Houghton, Frank; O’Rourke Scott, Lisa; Moran Stritch, Jennifer; Katherine Larkin4, Hazel; Heinz, Melinda (Jacobs Publishing House, 2024-01-02)

The following five contributions, collectively, offer an exploration of various facets of societal challenges and public health issues, highlighting the need for awareness, research, and targeted interventions. The five ...

Dearth of Feedback: A Critical Flaw in the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Health Research & Innovation Review Process

Houghton, Frank (Jacobs Publishing House, 2023-12-18)

The European Union (EU) faces a host of health, social, cultural, security, climate and economic challenges. In response to these the European Commission (EC) launched the Horizon Europe Research & Innovation program. This ...

Information Suppression in Idaho: Maternal Mortality Data in the Shadow of Recent US Supreme Court Judgements.

Houghton, Frank; Houghton, Daisy; Hill, Margo; Keogh Hoss, Mary Ann (Journal of Radical Statistics, 2023)

On June 4th 2022 the United States Supreme Court overruled both Roe vs. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania vs. Casey (1992) and returned the legality of abortion to the states. The issue examined ...

Caught in Crossfire: Library "Troubles" in Northern Ireland Exacerbate Ongoing Issues

Houghton, Frank (Journal of Radical Librarianship, 2022-11-11)

The Government of the United Kingdom (UK) has proposed a reduction in Arts & Humanities degrees in favour of STEMM disciplines. At the same time funding for Libraries in the UK continues to decline annually. This broader ...

Health Care Needs of Iraqi Refugees Presenting to the Kurdish Red Crescent Clinics in the Al Hol Camp During 12 Months of On-going Conflict: A Cross-Sectional Study

Garavan, Karmel Carrie; Van Berlaer, Gerlant; Houghton, Frank; Bery, Sherwan (Universala Medicina Esperanto Asocio, 2023-06)

The Battle for Mosul began in October 2016 as the world's single largest military operation since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In anticipation of massive displacement of Iraqi refugees, the Al-Hol camp was erected at the ...

Drawing it Properly: An Examination of Smoking Portrayals in Texts on How to Draw in the Noir Graphic Novel/Comic Book Style

Houghton, Daisy; Houghton, Frank (Universala Medicina Esperanto Asocio, 2023-06)

Smoking remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally. Therefore attention must be paid to the manner is which pro-smoking materials may serve to reflect, reinforce and ultimately reproduce smoking behaviours. ...