Brannock, Lucy (2019) Creating Positive Opportunities in the Classroom. Masters thesis, National University of Ireland Maynooth.
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Abstract
This project details an action research journey, a classroom-based study that sought to
create positive opportunities for students with the intent of enhancing wellbeing.
Wellbeing is a prominent focus in current educational circles (Fitzgearld & Dooley,
2012; NCCA, 2017). In July 2018, Minister Bruton introduced a new Wellbeing
Policy Statement and Framework for Practice for schools (DES, 2018) to enhance
purposeful support to children. This project acknowledged the aims of the framework
and worked out a number of strategies to help children overcome obstacles and to
develop an individual’s mental and emotional state.
The participants have been selected from an area where social deprivation is
prevalent. The school is identified as a DEIS 1 primary school. DEIS is an acronym
for Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, it was established by the
Department of Education in 2005 (DES, 2005) to identify, support and target schools
in challenging circumstances. The site for this research is a mixed gender school with
228 children on role including the fourteen participants in this study. Heeding the
statistics derived from the Growing up in Ireland Study (2017), it is pertinent that the
children in DEIS 1 schools are given tools to cope in challenging situations.
This study aimed to alter the common perception of a ‘mistake’, it offered coping
mechanisms such as useful ways to emotionally regulate and it provided children with
a moment of relaxation/reflection each day. Drawing on the work of Carol Dweck
(2016) and Michael Sigleman (2007) a new classroom ethos was created, which
cultivated an environment of growth and positivity. Growth mindset interventions
were established in tandem with a course of six yoga classes and multiple mindfulness
sessions. The data corpus was analysed through thematic data analysis (Braun and
Clarke, 2013) and voice centred relational methods of data analysis (Byrne et al, 2009). This study found that the practice of yoga and meditation in a disadvantaged
classroom context reduced stresses, enhanced self-awareness and helped children to
emotionally regulate. The mindset interventions instilled the joy of discovery,
offering children new perspectives towards challenges and cultivated a new
perception of failure. It was found that the interventions spurred collaborative
learning and better social relations between classmates. The results demonstrate that
the implemented strategies hold academic and personal benefit to students.
Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
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Keywords: | Creating; positive; opportunities; classroom; Froebel; Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education; |
Academic Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education |
Item ID: | 13712 |
Depositing User: | IR eTheses |
Date Deposited: | 01 Dec 2020 09:53 |
URI: | https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/13712 |
Use Licence: | This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here |
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