The Department of Psychology at MIC warmly welcomes you to join us for our Autumn Research Seminar Series. Here you can find more information about the exciting series of talks we have scheduled.
Beyond Language and Literacy: Benefits of Book Based Community Interventions for Young Children, Families and Professionals
Wednesday 23 October at 2pm in Room 221, John Henry Newman, MIC
A wealth of research demonstrates the positive impact of reading with young children for the development of language and literacy skills. However, the benefits of reading with young children and babies extend beyond language and literacy, to a host of other outcomes too, including the development of social skills, as well as mathematical, numeracy, and reasoning skills. This seminar will describe the implementation of, and findings from, two different book based community intervention schemes. The first, an infant book gifting scheme was delivered through health centres and libraries by Public Health Nurses and Librarians. The second scheme, a 9 week programme to support 3-4 year old children with a language delay, was delivered through early years settings by Speech and Language Therapists and Early Years Professionals. Adopting an ecological systems lens, the evaluations of these interventions indicate important benefits not only for the children, parents and families involved, but also for the professionals who delivered the schemes.
Presented by Dr Suzanne Egan
Biography - Dr Suzanne Egan
Dr Suzanne Egan is a researcher and lecturer in the Department of Psychology, Mary Immaculate College. She graduated with a PhD in Psychology from Trinity College Dublin, and also holds postgraduate qualifications in Cognitive Science and in Statistics. Her research examines the processes involved in imagination, thinking and reasoning, and the factors that support development in young children. Suzanne is currently co-chair of the Children’s Research Network, a members' organisation bringing together a broad range of professionals with an interest in research and evidence-based policy and practice for children and young people on the island of Ireland.
Expressions of Harmony: A 20-year journey of adapting Tai Chi & Qigong Classes for People with an Intellectual Disability
Wednesday 6 November at 2.30pm in Room 221, John Henry Newman, MIC
In 2004, after completing a three-year Tai Chi, Qigong teacher training course, I began adapting classes for people with intellectual disabilities. This adaptation is based on communication style, in delivery, suspending learning expectations, and supporting a strong sense of group identity, without compromising the fundamental basis of the craft. These classes have become a weekly practice for several hundred service users across County Limerick for the past 20 years. Feedback from attendees, family members and care staff, is evocative of the research results reported in Tai Chi and Qigong classes conducted in the general public domain, such as improved fitness and strength, a reduction in falls, improved mood, sense of group identity, and emotional regulation.
In 2017 I set myself a goal to ensure the future of this intervention through research, and development of training for facilitators. This brought me to, undertake a BSc in Psychology, a field worker position with IDS-Tilda, and a research assistant role at Trinity Centre for Ageing and Intellectual Disabilities.
In this presentation, I will introduce the fundamental principles of Tai Chi & Qigong and the adaptations to create an accessible intervention while telling the story of my psychology journey to date.
Presented by Nadine Buttery
Biography - Nadine Buttery
In 2021, Nadine Buttery was awarded a BSc in Psychology by the University of Limerick. Her skills and expertise include teaching Tai Chi & Qigong, and program development for people with intellectual disabilities, psychiatric patients, and the general public. Nadine has worked as a Research Assistant and Research Field Worker. She is based in Limerick and enjoys gardening, swimming and sailing in her free time. Nadine's goals are to develop a research-based teacher training program, for the delivery of Tai Chi and Qigong classes adapted for people with an intellectual disability.
The Social Psychology of Passports – Doing Irish Citizenship in Post-Brexit Britain
Wednesday 13 November at 3pm in Room G10, Foundation Building, MIC
In this talk, I will present the findings from a recent research project on how people of Irish descent in Britain who have applied for Irish passports in the context of Brexit, negotiate their Irish identities. In so doing, I situate the phenomenon of the ‘Brexit Irish’ within the longer history of contestation of ‘authentic’ Irish identities within Britain. I draw on the discursive social psychological literature on citizenship, specifically that strand that considers how social actors themselves construct ‘competent membership in a polity’ as a basis for citizenship (Gibson, Crossland & Hamilton, 2018). Through interview and focus group data, I analyse how legal claims on Irish citizenship are interwoven with psychological claims on Irish identity. In particular, I look at how participants rhetorically arrange their identity claims against anticipated accusations of inauthenticity. I suggest that demonstrating knowledge, or a willingness to learn, about both Irish history and contemporary Ireland is a means of accomplishing this. I suggest how such discourses of citizenship and belonging may contribute to understandings of jus soli and jus sanguinis citizenship in Ireland, as well as implications for diasporic Irish communities in Britain. I also set out the importance of a social psychology of diasporic citizenship.
Presented by Dr Marc Scully
Biography - Dr Marc Scully
Dr Marc Scully is a lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Mary Immaculate College, with research interests in identity in the context of diaspora and transnationalism. This seminar is based on a recent publication in Political Psychology which can be accessed here.
Through the Lens: Examining Photovoice as a Research Method in Psychology
Wednesday 27 November at 2pm in Room G08, Foundation Building, MIC
Photovoice is a method of using participatory photography with groups for research and social change that has been applied in the health and social sciences since the 1990’s. Over a series of workshops, photovoice projects bring together participants who have shared experience of an issue to reflect on and express their perspectives through photography. Participants become co- creators of the research in the process and are actively involved in data collection and analysis. This method is particularly suited to working with under-represented or minoritized groups, because it provides an alternative to extractive research practices, and it provides a platform for participants to share their experiences with decision-makers and the wider public. When projects are facilitated with care, photovoice may be experienced as empowering and even therapeutic for participants, with associated benefits for wellbeing. However, photovoice requires sufficient time and careful navigation of power dynamics to achieve these benefits, potentially posing considerable challenges to under-resourced researchers. In this seminar, Megan will draw on her experience and training to provide a practical overview of photovoice, followed by a critical examination of the benefits, challenges and transformative potential of the method.
Presented by Dr Megan Vine
Biography - Dr Megan Vine
Megan Vine is a Social/Community Psychologist and IRC Government of Ireland Fellow at the University of Limerick, trained and experienced in photovoice methodology. In her PhD research, she used multiple methodologies to examine experiences and outcomes of community solidarity initiatives with people on the move and resident/ nationals in Ireland. In this research, Megan identified the importance of intergroup friendship in driving resident/nationals' solidarity with people on the move and highlighted the challenges that members of both groups experienced in navigating unequal power relations within and around these initiatives.
As IRC Government of Ireland Fellow (2024-2026), Megan leads a participatory evaluation of Women’s Sheds in Ireland, under the mentorship of Prof. Ronni Greenwood. She recently completed a postdoctoral position with Prof. Mike Quayle on the multi-disciplinary CON-NET project, investigating experiences of online misbehaviour.
Megan’s research aligns with critical Social and Community Psychology, and she is broadly concerned with how identity, power and environment mutually influence people's subjective experiences, attitudes and behaviour in a variety of settings. She has experience in qualitative, quantitative and participatory methods, and is also interested in applying innovative methodological approaches such as social network analysis and unified methods. Since January 2024, Megan has served on the board member of the European Community Psychology Association, and she is passionate about supporting the development of Community Psychology in Ireland and beyond.
