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Module Specifications..

Current Academic Year 2023 - 2024

Please note that this information is subject to change.

Module Title SPHE, Sociology and History of Education
Module Code ED9062
School 76
Module Co-ordinatorSemester 1: Lorraine Delaney
Semester 2: Lorraine Delaney
Autumn: Lorraine Delaney
Module TeachersLorraine Delaney
NFQ level 9 Credit Rating 5
Pre-requisite None
Co-requisite None
Compatibles None
Incompatibles None
Coursework Only
Description

This module promotes children as agents in social, personal and global contexts. Drawing on concepts of human rights, wellbeing and citizenship, this module explores student teachers’ attitudes and dispositions towards key themes. Students will experience and critically reflect on active learning methods that can be used to engage children in democratic processes in SPHE. The module will support students in planning and resourcing lessons across the key concepts. This module also investigates historical and sociological aspects of Irish education with an emphasis on past, contemporary and future orientations. It examines the relationships between the structure and development of Irish education, on the one hand and political, economic and religious interests on the other. It also looks at the relationship between education and society by reviewing a range of theoretical perspectives and empirical studies on children, schools and social contexts. The module seeks to deepen students understanding of how social contexts/learning environments/teacher-pupil relationships impact on children’s intellectual, social and emotional development.

Learning Outcomes

1. Critically reflect on the significant role of personal dispositions, attitudes, assumptions, values and dominant discourses in shaping teacher action and behaviour.
2. Plan lessons, with a knowledge of curricular (SPHE Curriculum) and non-curricular resources for social, personal and health education, integrating good practice in relation to assessment, differentiation and digital learning.
3. Demonstrate awareness and understanding of the lived experience of education from historical and sociological perspectives.
4. Build on their prior learning and life experiences and actively seek out opportunities to develop professionally.
5. Engage in independent thought and reflective practice through an exploration of their role as teachers in contemporary societies.
6. Apply historical methods in an analysis of the structure and development of Irish education from 1831 to the present.
7. Demonstrate a sociological understanding of how identities, such as social class, gender and race affect groups of people and the role played by education in the reproduction or transformation of social inequalities



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Lecture21SPHE (6 hrs); History of Education (5 hrs); Sociology of Education (10 hours)
Seminars12SPHE: Interactive/experiential sessions
Independent Study46Guided reading, surveys, online discussion
Independent Study46Reading, internet research, evaluating resources, discussion fora, assignment
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

SPHE & Wellbeing
SPHE & Wellbeing lectures and seminars cover the following elements: Inclusion and self-esteem; developing children’s skills (e.g. regulating and managing feelings, decision-making; self-confidence; self-awareness); relationships (family life and friendships); relating to others (e.g. communicating; resolving conflict); developing ground rules and class contracts; child protection, bullying and personal safety (fire, road, water and online); relationships and sexuality education; LGBTI+ issues in the primary school; media education; health and well-being (e.g. taking care of my body; food and nutrition); substance misuse and loss and bereavement. Specific teaching methods appropriate to delivering SPHE content is explored e.g. circle-time, carousels, talk and discussion, along with integration, planning and assessment. Students are encouraged to self-reflect through completing lecture and seminar learning logs.

History of Education Strand
This module presents a timeline of the history of education in Ireland, which will be an important point of reference for the discussions that follow. The structure and development of the primary school system will be the central focus of the module, and special emphasis will be placed on those periods when child-centred education became a feature of the system. The impact that various interest groups have had on its design and evolution will also be discussed. In the course of these discussions students will be introduced to key concepts in the field of historical research, e.g., testimony, archive, representation, and narrative. Students will be invited to reflect on the character and quality of testimonies found in the literature, and to compare and contrast the influential narratives of John Coolahan and Susan M. Parkes. They will also learn about the location of the most important historical documents pertaining to Irish education.

Sociology of Education Strand
The Sociology of Education component of the module will introduce students to some of the major themes in the sociology of education. Schools are complex social organisations that reflect, are influenced by and themselves shape broader society. To understand these processes, this component of the module will consider relationships among actors within schools (teachers, pupils, parents) and the impact of social contexts, national policies and pedagogical practices on children and learning. Topics include social mobility and stratification; parental involvement in schooling; the dynamics of social class, gender and race in education; constructs of intelligence and educational implications; power, surveillance and privacy in schools.

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment100% Examination Weight0%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
Written ExamUnderstanding of key Sociological principles (meaning, scope and distinctiveness as a discipline) Integration of sociological dipostions and critical analysis Application of sociological knowledge in educational contexts. Tasks related to demonstrating engagement with themes explored in history of education50%n/a
Written ExamSPHE Assignment50%n/a
Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories;
1 = A resit is available for all components of the module
2 = No resit is available for 100% continuous assessment module
3 = No resit is available for the continuous assessment component
This module is category 1
Indicative Reading List

  • Nohilly, M. and Tynan, F: 2018, Wellbeing in Schools Everyday (WISE), CDU, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick,
  • NCCA: 1999, SPHE Curriculum, DE, Dublin,
  • NCCA: 1999, SPHE Teacher Guidelines, DE, Dublin,
  • PDST: 2016, Walk Tall Programme (JI-6th class),
  • PDST: 2016, Stay Safe Programme (x3) JI-6th class,
  • Smith, P and O'Higgins-Norman: 2022, The Wiley Blackwell International Handbook of Bullying: Volume 1, Springer,
  • Smith, P and O'Higgins, J: 2022, The Wiley Blackwell International Handbook of Bullying: Volume 2, Springer,
  • Keating, S: 0, The Road Less Travelled: The Journey to Meaningful and Empowering Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in Irish Schools, Palgrave MacMillan,
  • Audrey Bryan: 2017, (In) equality of opportunity and educational reform in Ireland in the 1960s, 1, Four Courts Press, Dublin,
  • Audrey Bryan: 2022, Researching Children and Other "Vulnerable" Groups, UCD Press, Dublin,
  • ​Richard Aldrich: 2003, The Three Duties of the Historian of Education', ournal of the History of Education Society, Vol. 32, Issue 24,
  • ​Sherri Rae Colby: 2012, 'Paul Ricoeur, Memory, and the Historical Gaze: Implications for Education Histories', American Educational History Journal, Vol. 39, Issue 1/2 https://www-proquest-com.dcu.idm.oclc.org/docview/1288734644?pq-origsite=primo,
  • John Coolahan: 1981, Irish Education: Its History and Structure,
  • Apple, M. W., Ball, S. J., & Gandin, L. A.: 2009, The Routledge International Handbook of the Sociology of Education, 1st, Routledge, London, 9780203863701
  • Tomas Boronski,Nasima Hassan: 2020, Sociology of Education, SAGE Publications Limited, 9781526445124
Other Resources

59765, classroom resource, Keating, S and Collins, B, 2021, Gender Equality Matters (GEM): Tackling gender stereotyping, gender-based bullying and gender-based violence, 59766, classroom resource, Keating, S, 2020, The Gestation Period, 59767, classroom resource, Collins, B., Keating, S. and Morgan, M, 2016, All Together Now!, DE, 59768, classroom resource, HSE, 2021, Busy Bodies, 59769, DE Policies, DE, 0, Anti-Bullying Procedures; Wellbeing Policy Statement; RSE; Child Protection; AUP; Critical Incident; Healthy Eating,
Programme or List of Programmes
PMEPProfessional Master of Education Primary
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