‘The teachers put effort into teaching us about life, and what’s right and what’s wrong’: values and moral education in publicly-managed schools in Ireland

Abstract

In light of cultural and demographic changes in the Republic of Ireland, there is an important and urgent need for research on the articulation of values education in Irish publicly-managed schools. This article reports the findings from a research project on the moral, religious and spiritual values and traditions of staff and students in publicly-managed schools. Data was collected from 18 second-level schools throughout the country, using a mixed methods approach involving the named values of participants’ school, as well as the policies and practices employed within the schools to support these named values. Findings show that both teachers and students identify positive values such as respect and well-being, equality and inclusion, and describe values education in practice. However, some differences emerging in the findings highlight the vacuum left by the lack of sectoral guidance. The implications of this vacuum are discussed, as it provides an opportunity for dialogue and consensus-building on values, and also for schools to develop their own context-relevant set of values.

Keywords:

• Publicly-managed schools
• values education
• mixed methods
• Republic of Ireland

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the research stakeholders within the publicly-managed school system in Ireland, and especially all the participating students and teachers from the 18 schools for their willingness to participate in this work. We acknowledge the funding provided for this research by Education and Training Boards in Ireland, and the six participating Education and Training Boards.

The project was supported by a research stakeholder group whose members provided valuable advice and support for our work. We would also like to thank Erin Beal, Dr Neil Kenny and Dr Jennifer Liston, who provided research assistance in the completion of this project.

Notes

1. A publicly-managed school, as defined for the purposes of this article, is a school where the role of patron and the accountability regarding characteristic spirit reside in a public body.