Dr Leah O’Toole
Biography
Research Interests
Research Projects
Project | Role | Funding Body / Program | Description | Start Date | End Date | Award (€) | |
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Evaluation of the Partnership Schools Ireland Initiative | PI | / Non Commercial | 01-FEB-21 | 01-OCT-22 | 29969 | ||
Froebelian Principles in the 21st Century: Play environments and play opportunities for young children who experience stress | Research team member | / Non Commercial | 01-JAN-21 | 01-JAN-24 | 37268 | ||
SCOTENS | PI | Department of Education and Science (Ireland) / North/South Co-operation Unit | This project addresses a significant void in the literature on the under-researched topic of the history of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Ireland. The research aims to map out and critically analyse potential variations in the developmental pathways taken by ECEC north and south of the border post-partition in Ireland. It will trace the journey from the 1908 Children’s Act and explore the Child-State relationship North and South to the present day. We are particularly interested in issues of children's voice and agency, and constructions of childhood. We wish to examine the shift in thinking from the very progressive ideals evident in the first democratic programme of the government in the Irish Free State towards the education system that subsequently emerged. It will also explore the parallel journey north of the border. Research questions are: - Did the ECEC sectors North and South follow divergent or similar paths post-partition? - What were the impacts of wider societal issues (political, social, religious, economic, gender, linguistic) on the development of ECEC systems North and South post-partition? - How did young children become the object of educational focus, and what educational (and other) discourses underpinned development of the sector North and South? - What part did the governance systems play in the development of the sector North and South pre- and post-partition? - What tensions existed within power-bases that have traditionally been viewed as monolithic? Who and where were the radical voices? While extensive histories of primary education in Ireland exist North (Farren, 1995) and South (O’Connor, 2010), we are not aware of any comprehensive work on the history of the ECEC sector. Therefore, this represents an important contribution to the field, since we are well served to identify where our practices fit within a historical perspective in order to deconstruct current discourses and policy-making for education (Ó Breacháin and O’Toole, 2013). Farren, S. (1995). The Politics of Irish Education 1920-1965. Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies. Ó Breacháin, A. and O'Toole, L., (2013). Pedagogy or politics?: cyclical trends in literacy and numeracy in Ireland and beyond. Irish Educational Studies, vol 32 issue 4, pp.401-419. O’Connor, M. (2010). The Development of Infant Education in Ireland, 1838-1948. Bern: Peter Lang. | 02-SEP-19 | 03-SEP-20 | 4401 | |
Teaching for Holistic Relational and Inclusive Early Childhood Education (THRIECE) | Co-PI | / Government State Bodies | 05-DEC-17 | 31-MAY-20 | 284704 | ||
Parental involvement, engagement and partnership in their children's education in the primary years | Co-PI | / Government State Bodies | 01-NOV-17 | 01-MAY-19 | 26544 |
Books
Year | Publication | |
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2022 | Introducing Bronfenbrenner: A guide for practitioners and students in early years education (2nd edition).
Hayes, N., O'Toole, L. and Halpenny, A. M. (2022) Introducing Bronfenbrenner: A guide for practitioners and students in early years education (2nd edition). London: Routledge. [Details] |
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2019 | Supporting Positive Behaviour in Early Years Settings and Primary Schools: Relationships, Reciprocity and Reflective Practice.
O'Toole, L. and Hayes, N. (2019) Supporting Positive Behaviour in Early Years Settings and Primary Schools: Relationships, Reciprocity and Reflective Practice. London: Routledge. [Details] |
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2019 | Parental involvement, engagement and partnership in their children's education during the primary school years.
O’Toole, L., Kiely, J., McGillicuddy, D., O’Brien, E. and O’Keeffe, C. (2019) Parental involvement, engagement and partnership in their children's education during the primary school years. Dublin: National Council for Curriculum and Assessment / National Parents Council. [Details] |
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2017 | Introducing Bronfenbrenner: A guide for practitioners and students in early years education.
Hayes, N., O'Toole, L. and Halpenny, A. (2017) Introducing Bronfenbrenner: A guide for practitioners and students in early years education. London: Routledge. [Details] |
Book Chapters
Year | Publication | |
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2019 | 'Animating systems: The ecological value of considering Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of development'
O'Toole, L., Hayes, N. and Halpenny, A. (2019) 'Animating systems: The ecological value of considering Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of development' In: Barnett, R. and Jackson, N (eds). Ecologies for Learning and Practice: Emerging Ideas, Sightings and Possibilities. London: Routledge. [Details] |
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2014 | 'Toward Integrated Learning: Linking Psychology, Sociology and School Experience in Initial Teacher Education'
Ryan, A. and O'Toole, L. (2014) 'Toward Integrated Learning: Linking Psychology, Sociology and School Experience in Initial Teacher Education' In: Daniela, L. and Rutka, L (eds). The Teacher of the 21st Century: Quality Education for Quality Teaching. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. [Details] |
Peer Reviewed Journals
Year | Publication | |
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2021 | 'Philosophy of education in a new key: publicness, social justice, and education; a South-North conversation'
Biesta G.;Heugh K.;Cervinkova H.;Rasiński L.;Osborne S.;Forde D.;Wrench A.;Carter J.;Säfström C.A.;Soong H.;O’Keeffe S.;Paige K.;Rigney L.I.;O’Toole L.;Hattam R.;Peters M.A.;Tesar M. (2021) 'Philosophy of education in a new key: publicness, social justice, and education; a South-North conversation'. Educational Philosophy and Theory, [DOI] [Details] |
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2021 | 'Contested childhoods across borders and boundaries: Insights from curriculum provisions in Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in the 1920s'
O’Toole L.;McClelland D.;Forde D.;O'Keeffe S.;Purdy N.;Säfström C.A.;Walsh T. (2021) 'Contested childhoods across borders and boundaries: Insights from curriculum provisions in Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in the 1920s'. British Educational Research Journal, 47 (4):1021-1038 [DOI] [Details] |
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2020 | 'Participant Action Research (PAR) for Early Childhood and Primary Education: The example of the THRIECE project'
O'Toole, L. (2020) 'Participant Action Research (PAR) for Early Childhood and Primary Education: The example of the THRIECE project'. Problemy Wczesnej Edukacji / Issues in Early Education, 49 (2):31-44 [DOI] [full-text] [Details] |
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2019 | '‘To learn with’ as an alternative voice for children's education. Introduction to a European Project: Teaching for Holistic, Relational and Inclusive Early Childhood Education (THRIECE)'
O’Toole, L., Regan, C. and Nowak-Lojewska, A. (2019) '‘To learn with’ as an alternative voice for children's education. Introduction to a European Project: Teaching for Holistic, Relational and Inclusive Early Childhood Education (THRIECE)'. KWARTALNIK PEDAGOGICZNY / PEDAGOGICAL QUARTERLY, 251 (1):175-182 [full-text] [Details] |
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2015 | 'Student-centred teaching in Initial Teacher Education'
O'Toole, L. (2015) 'Student-centred teaching in Initial Teacher Education'. International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education, 6 (1):2111-2119 [Details] |
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2014 | 'Cooperative learning in Initial Teacher Education: Student experiences'
O'Toole, L. (2014) 'Cooperative learning in Initial Teacher Education: Student experiences'. Problemy Wczesnej Edukacji / Issues in Early Education, 25 (2):7-20 [Details] |
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2019 | '‘To learn with’ in the view of holistic, relational and inclusive education'
Nowak-Lojewska, A., O’Toole, L., Regan, C. and Fereira, M. (2019) '‘To learn with’ in the view of holistic, relational and inclusive education'. KWARTALNIK PEDAGOGICZNY / PEDAGOGICAL QUARTERLY, 251 (1):151-162 [full-text] [Details] |
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2014 | 'A bioecological perspective on educational transition'
O'Toole, L. (2014) 'A bioecological perspective on educational transition'. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 140 :121-127 [full-text] [Details] |
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2013 | 'Pedagogy or Politics: Cyclical Trends in Literacy and Numeracy in Ireland and Beyond'
O Breachain, A. and O'Toole, L. (2013) 'Pedagogy or Politics: Cyclical Trends in Literacy and Numeracy in Ireland and Beyond'. Irish Educational Studies, 32 (4):401-419 [full-text] [Details] |
Published Reports
Year | Publication | |
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2021 | Parental Involvement, Engagement and Partnership in Children’s Education during the Primary School Years: Final Report.
Kiely, J. O’Toole, L. Haals-Brosnan, M., O’Brien, E. Z., O’Keeffe, C. and Dunne, C. (2021) Parental Involvement, Engagement and Partnership in Children’s Education during the Primary School Years: Final Report. Marino Institute of Education, Dublin. [Details] |
Other Journals
Year | Publication | |
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2020 | 'Relationships, reciprocity and reflective practice in challenging times'
Leah O'Toole (2020) 'Relationships, reciprocity and reflective practice in challenging times' Early Pedagogy, Summer 2020 . [Details] |
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2014 | 'Literacy and numeracy: Are we on the right track?'
O Breachain A. and O'Toole, L. (2014) 'Literacy and numeracy: Are we on the right track?' In Touch, 141 :54-55. [Details] |
Conference Publications
Year | Publication | |
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2020 | Supporting children’s home learning environment through partnerships with parents–findings from a national study
Maja Haals-Brosnan, Emma O'Brien and Leah O'Toole (2020) Supporting children’s home learning environment through partnerships with parents–findings from a national study . In: Early Childhood Ireland eds. National Early Years Research Day Proceedings, 63 Dublin, , pp.63-69 [Details] |
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2017 | A bioecological perspective on parental involvement in their children’s education
O'Toole, L. (2017) A bioecological perspective on parental involvement in their children’s education The Future of Education Conference [full-text] [Details] |
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2016 | A bioecological perspective on educational transition: Experiences of Children, Parents and Teachers
O'Toole, L and Hayes, N. (2016) A bioecological perspective on educational transition: Experiences of Children, Parents and Teachers The Future of Education Conference [full-text] [Details] |
Conference Contributions
Year | Publication | |
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2021 | Contesting constructions of children and childhood through Relational Reflective Practice.
O'Toole, L. and Regan, C. (2021) Contesting constructions of children and childhood through Relational Reflective Practice. [Oral Presentation], Australian Association for Research in Education Conference, Virtual / Australia [Details] |
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2021 | Conference presentation.
Leah O'Toole, Claire Regan and Nóirín Hayes (2021) Conference presentation. [Oral Presentation], Relation Centered Education Network Annual Conference, Virtual [Details] |
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2020 | Early Childhood Ireland Research Symposium.
Leah O'Toole (2020) Early Childhood Ireland Research Symposium. [Invited Oral Presentation], Early Childhood Ireland Research Symposium, Virtual , 19-OCT-20 - 21-OCT-20 [Details] |
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2019 | Teaching for Holistic, Relational and Inclusive Early Childhood Education (THRIECE).
O'Toole, L. (2019) Teaching for Holistic, Relational and Inclusive Early Childhood Education (THRIECE). [Oral Presentation], European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) Conference, Thessaloniki, Greece [Details] |
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2019 | Parental involvement, partnership and engagement in their children’s education during the primary school years.
O'Toole, L. (2019) Parental involvement, partnership and engagement in their children’s education during the primary school years. [Oral Presentation], Educational Studies Association of Ireland (ESAI) Conference, Sligo, Ireland [Details] |
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2019 | Teaching for Holistic, Relational and Inclusive Early Childhood Education (THRIECE).
O'Toole, L. (2019) Teaching for Holistic, Relational and Inclusive Early Childhood Education (THRIECE). [Oral Presentation], Educational Studies Association of Ireland (ESAI) Conference, Sligo, Ireland [Details] |
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2019 | Participant action research in the THRIECE project.
O'Toole, L. (2019) Participant action research in the THRIECE project. [Keynote Address], Desafiar prática Profissionais na Infância: Educação holística, relacional e inclusiva, Porto. Portugal [full-text] [Details] |
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2019 | The importance of home-school relationships in the early years of children’s education.
O'Toole, L. (2019) The importance of home-school relationships in the early years of children’s education. [Oral Presentation], OMEP Ireland Annual Conference: Relationship Matters and What Matters in Early Years Relationships, Cork Institute of Education [Details] |
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2019 | Outdoor play provides opportunities for development not available by any other means. Therefore inequitable access to outdoor play can be perceived as a social justice issue, and this is theorised in this paper through the lens of bioecological theory.
O'Toole, L. (2019) Outdoor play provides opportunities for development not available by any other means. Therefore inequitable access to outdoor play can be perceived as a social justice issue, and this is theorised in this paper through the lens of bioecological theory. [Keynote Address], A bioecological perspective on outdoor play, Maynooth University [Details] |
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2019 | Parents’ involvement in their children’s education in primary school.
Kiely, J. and O'Toole, L. (2019) Parents’ involvement in their children’s education in primary school. [Keynote Address], National Parents Council Primary Education Conference 2019, Tomorrow’s World: Parents supporting children’s futures, Dublin, Ireland [Details] |
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2019 | THRIECE (Teaching for Holistic, Relational and Inclusive Early Childhood Education).
O'Toole, L. (2019) THRIECE (Teaching for Holistic, Relational and Inclusive Early Childhood Education). [Keynote Address], THRIECE (Teaching for Holistic, Relational and Inclusive Early Childhood Education), Gdansk, Poland [Details] |
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2017 | The implications of multi-lingualism for parental involvement in children’s educational transitions.
O'Toole, L. and Mhic Mhathuna, M. (2017) The implications of multi-lingualism for parental involvement in children’s educational transitions. [Oral Presentation], Multilingualism in the Early Years International Conference, 18th-19th May, 2017. Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland, Dublin Ireland [Details] |
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2016 | Invited discussant for the “Compensatory Pathways for Early School Leavers: Findings from the RESL.eu Project” Symposium.
O'Toole, L. (2016) Invited discussant for the “Compensatory Pathways for Early School Leavers: Findings from the RESL.eu Project” Symposium. [Invited Oral Presentation], ECER (European Conference on Educational Research), 22nd – 26th August 2016. University College Dublin, Ireland, Dublin Ireland [Details] |
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2016 | Assessment of combined foundation discipline content on an initial teacher education programme: Student-lecturer interdisciplinary dialoguing of theories to practices.
O'Toole, L., McDaid, R. and Ryan, A. (2016) Assessment of combined foundation discipline content on an initial teacher education programme: Student-lecturer interdisciplinary dialoguing of theories to practices. [Oral Presentation], Dialogue across education and humanities conference, 22nd-24th June 2016. St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, Dublin, Ireland, Dublin Ireland [Details] |
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2016 | The power of 'process': The role of relationships in supporting positive educational transitions.
O'Toole, L. (2016) The power of 'process': The role of relationships in supporting positive educational transitions. [Oral Presentation], 26th EECERA (European Early Childhood Education Research Association) Annual Conference ‘Happiness, Relationships, Emotion and Deep Level Learning’ 31st August – 3rd September 2016. Dublin, Ireland, Dublin [Details] |
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2015 | Educational transition in bio-ecological perspective: The key role of relationships.
O'Toole, L and Hayes, N. (2015) Educational transition in bio-ecological perspective: The key role of relationships. [Oral Presentation], Educational Studies Association of Ireland (ESAI) Annual National Conference, ‘Educational Research and Practice in Times of Transition: Looking to the Future’, 9th – 11th April 2015. Carton House and, Carton House, Kildare, Ireland [Details] |
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2015 | “Welcome to this one hour lecture on . . . Constructivism . . . (!)”: Rhetoric Or Reality? A Consideration of the Theory/Practice Nexus and its Implications for Approaches to Teacher Education.
Ryan, A., O'Toole, L. and Purdy, N, (2015) “Welcome to this one hour lecture on . . . Constructivism . . . (!)”: Rhetoric Or Reality? A Consideration of the Theory/Practice Nexus and its Implications for Approaches to Teacher Education. [Oral Presentation], SCoTENS, 21-22 October, 2014. Enniskillen, Ireland, Enniskillen [Details] |
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2015 | The baby and the bathwater: Integrating theoretical stances to enhance children’s experiences of educational transitions.
O'Toole, L and Hayes, N. (2015) The baby and the bathwater: Integrating theoretical stances to enhance children’s experiences of educational transitions. [Oral Presentation], RECE International Conference, ‘Narratives of Difference: Translations, Transgressions and Transformations’, 27th-31st October, 2015. Blanchardstown Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland, Dublin Ireland [Details] |
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2014 | ‘Freedom to learn’ in Initial Teacher Education. (Awarded best poster).
O'Toole, L. (2014) ‘Freedom to learn’ in Initial Teacher Education. (Awarded best poster). [Poster Presentation], London International Conference on Education (LICE), 10th-12th November 2014. London, England, London [Details] |
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2013 | A Bioecological Perspective on Educational Transition.
O'Toole, L. (2013) A Bioecological Perspective on Educational Transition. [Oral Presentation], World Conference on Psychology and Sociology, 27th-29th November 2013. Brussels, Belgium, Brussels [Details] |
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2013 | Going round and round with the 3 R’s: International experiences of standardised testing and league tables: Implications for educational policy in Ireland.
O'Toole, L. and O Breachain, A. (2013) Going round and round with the 3 R’s: International experiences of standardised testing and league tables: Implications for educational policy in Ireland. [Oral Presentation], Educational Studies Association of Ireland (ESAI) Annual National Conference, 21st-23rd March, 2013. Limerick, Ireland, Limerick [Details] |
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2013 | Towards Integrated Learning: Linking Psychology, Sociology and School Experience in Initial Teacher Education.
Ryan, A. and O'Toole, L. (2013) Towards Integrated Learning: Linking Psychology, Sociology and School Experience in Initial Teacher Education. [Oral Presentation], Association for Teacher Education in Europe Spring Conference: Teacher of the 21st Century, Quality Education for Quality Teaching, 10th-12th May 2013 Riga, Latvia, Riga [Details] |
Invited Seminars
Year | Publication | |
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2021 | A bioecological perspective on education.
O'Toole, L. (2021) A bioecological perspective on education. Invited Seminars [Details] |
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2021 | Teaching for Holistic Relational and Inclusive Early Childhood Education (THRIECE).
O'Toole, L. and Regan, C. (2021) Teaching for Holistic Relational and Inclusive Early Childhood Education (THRIECE). Invited Seminars [Details] |
Teaching Interests
Internal Collaborators
Name | Institute | Country | |
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IRELAND | |||
MUSSI | IRELAND |
External Collaborators
Name | Role / Description | Country | |
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Marino Institute of Education | Research Partners | IRELAND | |
Early Childhood Ireland | Partners in programme development and delivery | IRELAND | |
University of Porto | Research Partners | PORTUGAL | |
University of Gdansk | Research Partners | POLAND | |
Relation-Centered Education Network, Sacramento State University | Conference development | U.S.A. | |
An Cosán | Research Partners | IRELAND | |
ICATA (International Cognitive Analytic Therapy Association) | Research Partners | IRELAND | |
Fisher Price Early Childhood Education Research Centre, State University of New York at Buffalo | Research Partners | U.S.A. | |
Trinity College Dublin | Research Partners | IRELAND |