Deirdre McGillicuddy

Biography

Dr Deirdre McGillicuddy is Assistant Professor in Education in UCD School of Education. She has responsibility for teaching across a range of modules in the school relating to research methods and Curriculum and Assessment. She has also taught in the area of Pedagogy, Early Childhood Education Policy and Practice, Development and Intercultural Education, Sociology of Childhood and Children's Rights and Citizenship.
Deirdre's research is underpinned by the importance of working with and listening to the views of children and young people. She is particularly passionate about inequalities in education which stems from her time working as a primary school teacher in a DEIS school located in one of the most socio-economically challenged areas in the country. Her own PhD study, funded by the DCYA scholarship programme (as well as the Irish Research Council and Irish National Teachers Organisation), employed child-friendly methodologies in listening to the views of 100 children aged 7-11 years old on their experience of ability grouping in primary school. She has worked on a number of research projects exploring children and young people’s experience of the education system, their experience of participation and voice in matters concerning them and their participation in longitudinal studies. Deirdre has published nationally and internationally in the area of pedagogy, school and teacher effectiveness, children's rights, marginalised voice(s) and research methodology.
Core to Deirdre's work as an academic are the values of collaboration, teamwork and leadership. She has previously engaged cross-institutionally with colleagues in UCD, TCD, MIE, NCAD and IADT working in the field of Access to Higher Education resulting in securing funding for a range of creative and innovative projects. She also has experience collaborating with a number of government departments and external bodies including the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA), the Department of Education and Skills (DES), the National Council of Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and the National Parents Council Primary (NPCP).
Deirdre's research interests are in the areas of:
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Educational Disadvantage
Childhood
Pedagogy
Ability Grouping
Children's Rights
Psycho-social Perspectives on Schooling
Educational Effectiveness
Participatory Approaches to Research
Children's Voice(s) in Research