Interested in Tackling Gender-Based Discrimination/Violence in Irish Primary Schools?

SSmithICEP

Hi All,

I hope everyone is well and doesn't mind me posting this on here.

My name is Stephen Smith, a researcher currently working with a Maynooth-based research and training company called ICEP Europe.

I write today seeking your assistance with the Irish data collection phase of our European Justice Programme funded Systematic Approaches For Equality of gendeR (SAFER) project, within which ICEP Europe is the Irish partner.

The SAFER project, which is being conducted across 6 European countries (Ireland, UK, Cyprus, Greece, Italy & Lithuania) aims to:
• Promote positive attitudes towards gender equality
• Equip students with the skills required to form healthy, respectful relationships
• Prevent gender-based discrimination and violence

The objectives of SAFER align with those of the SPHE curriculum, as well as the guidelines for wellbeing within Irish primary schools. The project will incorporate social and emotional skills training, positive psychology and character education in an innovative suite of freely available, online training materials designed to educate teachers and pupils on gender equality, and raise awareness around gender-based discrimination and violence.

As part of the research phase of the project, ICEP Europe is endeavouring to garner responses from 50 Irish primary school teachers to an online questionnaire, which pertains to teacher's attitudes towards gender equality and gender based violence.

Given the timely and pertinent nature of the research at both a national & European context, we were hoping that many of you may be able to assist our research team in generating the requisite number of responses. Any assistance you could offer in this regard would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks for your time and consideration in reading this post, and should you be interested in participating in the the SAFER project research, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me at the following email address (s.smith @ icepe . eu) and I will happily provide you with a link to our online questionnaire.

Wishing each of you a pleasant day!

Geuze

Violence in primary schools?

Having spent eight years at primary school, and having two children at primary school, I can report that there isn't any violence.

If there was violence in any primary school in Ireland, surely we'd hear about it?

Obviously kids get into fights, scrapes / pulling and pushing, but I would not call that violence.

RealJohn

But Geuze, think of all of the micro-aggressions. The violence is constant and cumulative.

SSmithICEP

Thanks for your feedback, Geuze & RealJohn, I think it is an interesting topic to get the perspectives of as many relevant parties as possible regarding.

Whilst I appreciate that, from your perspective, it may not be a major issue in the school in which you teach, this is not the case across the board (from the research we have conducted to date including two focus groups with primary school teachers).

The scope of the project also extends beyond explicitly violent events to examine what perhaps may be more subtle patterns of discrimination based on gender, whether these be emotional, verbal etc.

Specifically, this teacher's questionnaire is tailored to gain an insight into the attitudes Irish primary teachers hold on the issue of gender and how this may affect their classroom practice.

Finally, it is also important to bear in mind that this is a study involving partners from across Europe, so even if it were the case that no issue existed in Ireland around the area of gender-discrimination, stereotyping, violence etc. (which I am not suggesting is the case), this would be highly valuable information to compare with that garnered from our European partners in Cyprus, Greece, Italy, UK & Lithuania.

We feel this research is vital within the current social climate and I would be happy to share more information with any interested parties at the email address listed above.