Shared Education Initiatives in Northern Ireland: A Model for Effective Intergroup Contact in Divided Jurisdictions
17 Dec 2013-Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism (John Wiley and Sons Ltd)-Vol. 13, Iss: 3, pp 477-487
TL;DR: The Sharing Education Programme (SEP) as discussed by the authors is an example of a shared education model for intergroup relations in the context of the conflict in Northern Ireland, which has been shown to positively impact intergroup attitudes and behaviours of participants.
Abstract: As Northern Ireland transitions from violence to sustainable peace, one area in particular that remains deeply divided is the parallel education system that operates for Catholic and Protestant pupils. Working within the existing system of separate education, and underpinned by contact theory, the Sharing Education Programme (SEP) was launched in 2007 to deliver shared classes for pupils from the different sectors. While SEP is a relatively new initiative, evidence suggests that the programme positively impacts intergroup attitudes and behaviours of participants, and contrary to existing polemic that denounces the separate faith schools as a site for reconciliation in divided societies, the effectiveness of the programme suggests that separate education can be harnessed to promote more positive intergroup relations. Indeed, we argue that the value of the shared education approach lies in the fact that it can balance the aspirations of those who advocate separate education as a fundamental right in liberal democratic societies, and those who see integrated or common education as the only solution to ethnic/racial divisions. This ideological bridging enhances the appeal of the shared education model in other similarly divided jurisdictions – a point taken up in the discussion. * Danielle Blaylock is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Centre for Shared Education in the School of Education at Queen’s University, Belfast. Her main research interests and areas of expertise are group process and intergroup relations, intergroup contact theory, and the role of education in divided societies. Her work is closely associated with the social identity theory. ** Professor Joanne Hughes is Director of the Centre for Shared Education in the School of Education, Queen’s University, Belfast. Her main research interests are in intergroup relations and the role of education in divided societies. bs_bs_banner
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01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: The Northern Ireland Peace Monitoring Report as discussed by the authors provides independent monitoring of Northern Ireland's journey out of violence, and of the efforts to create a society in which all can live free from fear, and in relationships of trust and safety with their fellow citizens.
Abstract: The Northern Ireland Peace Monitoring Report will provide independent monitoring of Northern Ireland’s journey out of violence, and of the efforts to create a society in which all can live free from fear, and in relationships of trust and safety with their fellow citizens An indicator framework will be created to allow the measurement of change towards the goals of equality, social cohesion, sharing, and the ability to deal with political difference through open dialogue and accommodation The findings will be made available to all through the publication of an annual report
66 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors outline the experience of a series of projects on "shared education", or the establishment of collaborative networks of Protestant, Catholic and integrated schools in which teachers and pupils moved between schools to take classes and share experiences.
Abstract: During the years of political violence in Northern Ireland many looked to schools to contribute to reconciliation. A variety of interventions were attempted throughout those years, but there was little evidence that any had produced systemic change. The peace process provided an opportunity for renewed efforts. This paper outlines the experience of a series of projects on 'shared education', or the establishment of collaborative networks of Protestant, Catholic and integrated schools in which teachers and pupils moved between schools to take classes and share experiences. The paper outlines the genesis of the idea and the research which helped inform the shape of the shared education project. The paper also outlines the corpus of research which has examined various aspects of shared education practice and lays out the emergent model which is helping to inform current government practice in Northern Ireland, and is being adopted in other jurisdictions. The paper concludes by looking at the prospect...
49 citations
Cites background from "Shared Education Initiatives in Nor..."
...…2012, 2013; fGS McClure watters, 2009, 2010; Gallagher, Stewart, walker, Baker & lockhart, 2010; Knox, 2010), examination of the impact of contact (Blaylock & Hughes, 2013; Hughes, 2014; Hughes, Campbell, lolliot, Hewstone & Gallagher, 2013; Hughes, lolliot, Hewstone, Schmid & Carlisle, 2012;…...
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..., 2010; Knox, 2010; Booroah and Knox, 2013; ETINI, 2012, 2013), examination of the impact of contact (Tausch et al., 2010; Hughes et al., 2012; Blaylock and Hughes, 2013; Hughes et al., 2013; Hughes, 2014), a consideration of its role in improving standards (Booroah and Knox, 2014, 2015a, 2015b) and in-depth analyses of the dynamics of specific partnerships (Nelson, 2013; Loader, 2015; Hughes and Loader, 2015; Duffy and Gallagher, 2015)....
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TL;DR: Many educational programs in societies affected by armed conflict aim to promote dialogic engagement as a fundamental aim and pedagogy for social reconstruction as mentioned in this paper. But despite supporting government polices, many educational programs still fail to promote dialogue and engagement.
Abstract: Many educational programmes in societies affected by armed conflict aim to promote dialogic engagement as a fundamental aim and pedagogy for social reconstruction. Despite supporting government pol...
27 citations
Cites background from "Shared Education Initiatives in Nor..."
...…1954), regular intergroup interactions through structured collaborative activities reduce feelings of prejudice and anxieties and increase affects like empathy (Pettigrew and Tropp, 2008; Hughes et al., 2010) despite challenges of dealing with awkwardness and tensions (Blaylock and Hughes, 2013)....
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..., 2010) despite challenges of dealing with awkwardness and tensions (Blaylock and Hughes, 2013)....
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21 Jul 2017
TL;DR: In this article, the Newton Trust Award through the Cambridge Home and EU Scholarship Scheme (CHESS) was used to fund a research project at the University of Cambridge in the UK.
Abstract: This PhD was funded by a Newton Trust Award through the Cambridge Home and EU Scholarship Scheme (CHESS).
22 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 201815 citations
Additional excerpts
...education programming in Northern Ireland (Blaylock and Hughes, 2013)....
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References
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01 Jan 1954TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the dynamics of prejudgment, including: Frustration, Aggression and Hatred, Anxiety, Sex, and Guilt, Demagogy, and Tolerant Personality.
Abstract: Preferential Thinking * What Is the Problem? * The Normality of Prejudgment * Formation of In-Groups * Rejection of Out-Groups * Patterning and Extent of Prejudice Group Differences * The Scientific Study of Group Differences * Racial and Ethnic Differences * Visibility and Strangeness * Traits Due to Victimization Perceiving And Thinking About Group Differences * The Cognitive Process * Linguistic Factors * Stereotypes in Our Culture * Theories of Prejudice Sociocultural Factors * Social Structure And Cultural Pattern * Choice of Scapegoats * The Effect of Contact * Acquiring Prejudice * Conforming * The Young Child * Later Learning * Inner Conflict The Dynamics Of Prejudice * Frustration * Aggression and Hatred * Anxiety, Sex, and Guilt * Projection Character Structure * The Prejudiced Personality * Demagogy * The Tolerant Personality * Religion and Prejudice Reducing Group Tensions * Ought There to Be a Law? * Evaluation of Programs * Limitations and Horizons
13,470 citations
TL;DR: The meta-analysis finds that intergroup contact typically reduces intergroup prejudice, and this result suggests that contact theory, devised originally for racial and ethnic encounters, can be extended to other groups.
Abstract: The present article presents a meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory. With 713 independent samples from 515 studies, the meta-analysis finds that intergroup contact typically reduces intergroup prejudice. Multiple tests indicate that this finding appears not to result from either participant selection or publication biases, and the more rigorous studies yield larger mean effects. These contact effects typically generalize to the entire outgroup, and they emerge across a broad range of outgroup targets and contact settings. Similar patterns also emerge for samples with racial or ethnic targets and samples with other targets. This result suggests that contact theory, devised originally for racial and ethnic encounters, can be extended to other groups. A global indicator of Allport's optimal contact conditions demonstrates that contact under these conditions typically leads to even greater reduction in prejudice. Closer examination demonstrates that these conditions are best conceptualized as an interrelated bundle rather than as independent factors. Further, the meta-analytic findings indicate that these conditions are not essential for prejudice reduction. Hence, future work should focus on negative factors that prevent intergroup contact from diminishing prejudice as well as the development of a more comprehensive theory of intergroup contact.
6,629 citations
01 Jun 1954
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the dynamics of prejudgment, including: Frustration, Aggression and Hatred, Anxiety, Sex, and Guilt, Demagogy, and Tolerant Personality.
Abstract: Preferential Thinking * What Is the Problem? * The Normality of Prejudgment * Formation of In-Groups * Rejection of Out-Groups * Patterning and Extent of Prejudice Group Differences * The Scientific Study of Group Differences * Racial and Ethnic Differences * Visibility and Strangeness * Traits Due to Victimization Perceiving And Thinking About Group Differences * The Cognitive Process * Linguistic Factors * Stereotypes in Our Culture * Theories of Prejudice Sociocultural Factors * Social Structure And Cultural Pattern * Choice of Scapegoats * The Effect of Contact * Acquiring Prejudice * Conforming * The Young Child * Later Learning * Inner Conflict The Dynamics Of Prejudice * Frustration * Aggression and Hatred * Anxiety, Sex, and Guilt * Projection Character Structure * The Prejudiced Personality * Demagogy * The Tolerant Personality * Religion and Prejudice Reducing Group Tensions * Ought There to Be a Law? * Evaluation of Programs * Limitations and Horizons
4,869 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors test meta-analytically the three most studied mediators: contact reduces prejudice by enhancing knowledge about the outgroup, reducing anxiety about intergroup contact, and increasing empathy and perspective taking.
Abstract: Recent years have witnessed a renewal of interest in intergroup contact theory. A meta-analysis of more than 500 studies established the theory's basic contention that intergroup contact typically reduces prejudices of many types. This paper addresses the issue of process: just how does contact diminish prejudice? We test meta-analytically the three most studied mediators: contact reduces prejudice by (1) enhancing knowledge about the outgroup, (2) reducing anxiety about intergroup contact, and (3) increasing empathy and perspective taking. Our tests reveal mediational effects for all three of these mediators. However, the mediational value of increased knowledge appears less strong than anxiety reduction and empathy. Limitations of the study and implications of the results are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
1,886 citations
TL;DR: Time spent and self-disclosure with outgroup friends yielded significantly greater associations with attitudes than other friendship measures, suggesting that attitudes are most likely to improve when cross-group friendships involve behavioral engagement.
Abstract: This work identifies how cross-group friendships are conceptualized and measured in intergroup research, investigates which operationalizations yield the strongest effects on intergroup attitudes, explores potential moderators, and discusses the theoretical importance of the findings. Prior meta-analyses have provided initial evidence that cross-group friendships are especially powerful forms of intergroup contact. Although studies of cross-group friendship have grown considerably in recent years, varied assessments leave us without a clear understanding of how different operationalizations affect relationships between friendship and attitudes. With a greatly expanded database of relevant studies, the authors compared friendship-attitude associations across a wide range of specific conceptualizations. Time spent and self-disclosure with outgroup friends yielded significantly greater associations with attitudes than other friendship measures, suggesting that attitudes are most likely to improve when cross-group friendships involve behavioral engagement. Processes underlying cross-group friendships are discussed, as are implications for future research and application.
632 citations
"Shared Education Initiatives in Nor..." refers background in this paper
...Structuring contact situations to engender opportunities for crossgroup friendships to develop requires repeated contact that is intimate rather than superficial in nature (Davies et al. 2011)....
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