Global Citizenship Education (GCE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) have become national and international priorities in the field of education, with related ideas being evident in the educational policies of 89% of UNESCO member states (Nygren et al., 2020). Within the Irish context, the Teaching Council (2020) has formally designated GCE as one of the seven foundational components that must be addressed across all Initial Teacher Education (ITE) post-primary programmes. Despite this high-level policy prioritisation, extant research indicates a crucial disjuncture: while pre-service teachers generally express positive attitudes toward GCE, many exhibit limited GCE-related conceptual and pedagogical knowledge, and accordingly report feeling insufficiently prepared to effectively support student learning in this domain (e.g., Andrews & Aydin, 2020; daCosta, Hanley & Sant, 2024). Against this backdrop of policy-practice divergence, the current research aimed to implement and evaluate the efficacy of a novel GCE intervention for pre-service teachers. This intervention, which was uniquely informed and guided by a community-agency partnership model, was deployed across two distinct ITE institutions in the west of Ireland. A mixed-methods research design was employed, utilising student surveys and both student and facilitator focus groups, to comprehensively examine the attitudinal and behavioural outcomes of the intervention, which was embedded within three concurrent teacher education programmes. Crucially, data collection was conducted at both proximal (2 weeks post-intervention) and distal (8 months post-intervention) time-points to assess the sustainability and enduring impact of the intervention's effects. The results of this study indicate improvements across multiple domains following the intervention, specifically in GCE-related knowledge, attitudes, values, and practical skills. A particularly impactful finding was the opportunity afforded by the intervention for the co-construction of conceptual and pedagogical understanding among pre-service teachers across diverse disciplinary areas (i.e., Maths, Computer Science, and Visual Art), suggesting that inter-disciplinary collaboration enhances GCE comprehension. Contrastingly, the pre-service teachers' self-efficacy for GCE actions demonstrated a comparatively less pronounced response to the intervention. Indeed, some key challenges associated with integrating GCE into subject-specific teaching were elucidated by the participating students. These included conceptual and linguistic complexity; topic sensitivity; instructional time pressures; and the challenges of curricular articulation. Collectively, the findings of this study invite ITE providers to reflect critically on how their programmes can best foster and support the development of GCE conceptual and pedagogical knowledge in future teachers.

Global Citizenship Education (GCE) has been embedded in initial teacher education (ITE) in Ireland for over two decades through the DICE Project. Recent policy changes, including the Teaching Council’s (2020) Céim standards, have formalised GCE as a core component of all ITE programmes. This study explores the experiences of the first cohort of student teachers completing a redesigned B.Ed. programme under these new standards, focusing on their perceptions of their readiness to teach GCE and the effectiveness of supports provided during their degree.

The research aims to: (1) capture student teachers’ experiences of engaging with GCE in school placement and modules; and (2) inform future GCE provision within ITE. Addressing a significant gap in empirical research, this study contributes insights into how teacher education can prepare graduates to contribute towards education for sustainable futures in their own teaching practice.

Data were collected through two online surveys administered at the beginning and end of the final GCE module students received. Surveys combined quantitative and qualitative questions exploring students’ experiences of teaching GCE on placement, their knowledge of global justice topics, confidence in using appropriate methodologies, and commitment to embedding GCE in their future practice.

Findings indicate that prior exposure to GCE modules supported students in integrating GCE into school placement through provided resources and plans, fostering confidence in curricular integration. However, barriers persisted, including limited personal knowledge of global issues, structural constraints in schools, and challenges in addressing controversial topics. Engagement with the final module strengthened students’ confidence, methodological understanding, and personal commitment to global justice. Yet concerns remained about navigating far-right narratives, diverging perspectives, and the impact of the rapidly changing nature of global crises on classrooms.

This research offers timely insights into how ITE can equip future teachers to embed critical reflection, innovation, and futures-thinking in their practice. By amplifying student voices, it highlights both successes and areas for development in preparing student teachers to deliver GCE and contribute towards education focused on building sustainable futures.

References:

Teaching Council. (2020). CÉIM: Standards for Initial Teacher Education. Maynooth: Teaching Council https://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/publications/ite-professional-accreditation/ceim-standards-for-initial-teacher-education.pdf

This presentation will explore the work of an Erasmus+ project called SEED, Capacity building for Sustainable community-basEd Enterprise Development (2025-2027). SEED is a collaboration of universities, communities, civil society and local enterprise partners in Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Malawi and Zambia. SEED focuses on developing capacities to work between communities, universities and policy-makers to better serve the needs of smallholder food producers and local enterprise within vulnerable communities in Malawi and Zambia, as they cope with the globe’s most challenging and complex challenges of global climate change, food insecurity, migration and extreme events.

Through collaborative research and professional learning, SEED empowers universities to co-design microcredential programmes that respond to local priorities, address climate change challenges, and build resilient livelihoods in their national higher education system.

We wish to present an analysis of the process of co-developing these microcredentials from the perspective of the initial readiness and design phase we have engaged in over the past year and half. This began with a readiness phase of ongoing collaboration and knowledge sharing, mapped through a series of research and needs analysis within communities in Malawi and Zambia (conducted in 2016, 2023 and 2025). This mixed methods casestudy research tracked the ongoing collaboration and partnership building between four local universities, their communities and local enterprise as we sought to understand each other’s worldviews and built shared knowledge and learning through dialogic means. We then co-designed and delivered a 4-part series of microcredentials readiness CPD programme with accompanying evaluation across 4 partner African universities in November-December 2025. We will present an analysis of this material, engagement process and course evaluation to critically reflect on the collaborative approach of co-designing and engaging in capacity-building initiative that intends to transform how higher education institutes and systems engage in sustainable ways with their communities.

As we work together, we have become more cognisant of the key issues in working across our disparate geographic, disciplinary, institutional and epistemological boundaries (Ryan & Murphy, 2018). We critically reflect on the institutional and epistemological colonisation occurring in higher education and research due to the dominance of western scientific and organisational discourses about performativity and growth (Yacob-Haliso et al 2021). We consider the impact of complex global challenges for our communities and identify possibilities to build our transformative capacity to respond, we wish to consider what it means to create the conditions for transformative change through higher education.

Fostering creativity in education is increasingly prioritised internationally (OECD, 2019; Vincent-Lancrin et al., 2019), with policy developments in Ireland and elsewhere emphasising its importance for thriving in societies characterised by rapid systemic, cultural, and societal change (Government of Ireland, 2017). School leaders play a pivotal role in cultivating environments where creativity in teaching and learning can flourish (Stoll & Temperley, 2009; Harris, 2014). However, recent Irish research highlights significant variation in school leaders’ conceptions of creativity and in their confidence to lead for creativity (Collins, 2022).

In terms of developing school leaders, international evidence identifies coaching as a highly effective form of professional learning (van Nieuwerburgh, 2012; Lofthouse et al., 2010), and its potential in enhancing creative leadership has been highlighted (Collins, Murphy and Brown, 2025). However, empirical research exploring how coaching might specifically support school leaders’ creativity and creative leadership remains limited.

This paper reports on the emerging insights from quantitative research, which formed part of an overall explanatory sequential mixed-methods study (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2017). Instruments and frameworks from the fields of creativity studies, psychology, school leadership and education informed the questionnaire design. The study sought to answer the following research question: What types of coaching interventions can enhance Irish school leaders’ creativity and creative leadership? Drawing from this newly developed national survey for school leaders that examines their beliefs, attitudes, and conceptions of creativity (e.g., Kaufman & Beghetto, 2009), the quantitative dimension focuses on two complementary components: (i) leader creativity, and (ii) creative leadership.

Building on the authors’ previous Ecological Framework for the Coaching of School Leaders, the study aims to guide the development of future coaching-for-creativity interventions (Collins, et al., 2025). The paper will provide valuable insights which will guide the school leader interviews in the second phase of the study. Ultimately, the study will inform how coaching can foster and strengthen school leader creativity and creative leadership in Irish schools.

Barr na gCnoc, University College Cork, is a community partnership promoting social and educational inclusion through Irish language education and extra-curricular activities in DEIS schools and community organisations in areas of high socio-economic exclusion across Cork City. This paper examines the intersection of language, identity and the relationships fostered using the Irish language as a tool for social-emotional learning and opportunity. Central to this exploration is the role of Irish language rap music initiatives and how they have enabled the community to express themselves through the language. Affiliated with relationships and identity found within the conference track; Wellbeing, Social and Emotional Learning, and Mental Health, this paper delves into the data that has emerged from focus groups with participants of Barr na gCnoc initiatives including workshops, music videos, and summer camps.

Barr na gCnoc aims to establish the Irish language as a social and educational enabler, and drive positive changes in outcomes, behaviour, and attitudes within communities. The project's initiatives are co-created with the community and Irish language learning in creative activities; emphasizing identity, connections, and wellbeing, while promoting contemporary forms of expression to engage participants.

Since July 2024, a partnership with The Kabin Studio, Knocknaheeny, has led to the establishment of Irish language rap workshops and projects within the community. Through later projects commissioned by TG4, the local communities’ Irish rap music reached a national audience, having a significant impact on participant confidence and identity as an Irish learner/speaker. With viral songs and music videos released, Barr na gCnoc is exploring the deeper impact of this work on participants. These projects have given the language urban relevance and grown organically since then. The products of these workshops have galvanised participant’s imaginations.

Preliminary findings reveal a significant increase in participant engagement and confidence in using the Irish language, a strengthening of relationships between participants, and participants and tutors, where positive role modelling has had a strong impact. Most notably, it highlights a deeper, more personal connection between the students and the Irish language itself. For many, the language has become a means to express their Irish identity, with rap serving as an innovative tool that allows them to connect with Irish in a way that feels relevant and authentic to their lives. Barr na gCnoc’s research demonstrates the potential of combining traditional language education with modern forms of creative expression to foster relationships, social cohesion and positive identity development.