Ireland has undergone significant socio-cultural changes over the past 30 years. Consequently, it is important to understand how students are negotiating these changes and the extent to which schools are preparing young people to engage with cultural and religious diversity. Building on previous research concerning agency and school belonging, this study focuses on non-Catholic students. Given the denominational primary school sector and relatively homogenous teaching workforce in Ireland, examining how students from minority cultural backgrounds exercise agency to develop a sense of belonging provides valuable insights for policy and practice. The findings highlight the capacity of students to draw meaning from different cultures and religions, negotiate their own place, and contribute to broader discourses concerning the inclusion of diverse religions and cultures in Irish primary schools. This study is also relevant internationally as it highlights the role of student agency in negotiating belonging for both the individual and their peers.

Forced migration to Europe is growing in numbers and salience. In response, EU asylum services have been increasingly securitised, externalised and privatised. We investigate the functioning of marketised asylum regimes through the perspective of street-level bureaucrats (workers, civil servants and volunteers) working in the Irish asylum system, the only completely privatised asylum system in the EU. Interviews show that street-level bureaucrats' experiences are negatively affected by the same systemic flaws previously found to be violating migrants' rights. Furthermore, unlike civil servants and volunteers, staff of private reception centres detach their work and professional identity from the idea of belonging to an institutionalised asylum system, implicitly rejecting their role in perpetuating the system and their categorisation as street-level bureaucrats. We posit that this disconnection both influences and is caused by the marketised nature of the system, impeding the traditional role of street-level bureaucrats as bottom-up 'policymakers'.

This article examines how familial ties and kinship networks shape the class conditions of migrants in their host country. Using data from 61 semi-structured interviews with Filipino migrant nurses in Ireland, we examine the connection between familial social networks and their socioeconomic conditions in the host society. We argue that kinship ties and their local contexts continue to impinge on migrants' class position and class conditions in their destination country. The paper highlights the interconnections between complex social relations, social spaces, and class systems in shaping migrant social mobility in the destination country. It illustrates how class backgrounds in the home country are reproduced through their kinship ties. It also argues that while social ties are usually predicated on positive emotional bonds, some produce negative consequences that impede or delay the social mobility of migrants. Conversely, some social ties help migrants achieve their middle-class aspirations ahead of others.

The European "refugee crisis" spurred heightened political and media discourses on forced migration. Research has surveyed and compared typical frames and discourses, but there are few studies attempting to explain cross-country similarities and differences using contextual elements. This study uses frame analysis to compare Italy and Ireland's parliamentary and media discourses from 2013 to 2022, revealing consistent yet contrasting patterns. Italian politics predominantly uses the threat frame, while media coverage leans towards humanitarian perspectives. In Ireland, politics tends to use a humanitarian frame, contrasting with more negative media narratives. Economic circumstances, political cleavages, numbers of forced migrants hosted and social attitudes do not completely predict these findings; rather, country-specific drivers of frame emergence lead to frames being differently constructed and used in different country contexts. Similar frames may be the result of different processes and divergent frames might not accurately reflect actual divergence in discourse.

Ireland’s cultural identity has transformed significantly in the past few decades as a result of large-scale inward migration. Consequently, the creation of culturally responsive school environments has become a major concern in policy discourses in recent years. Despite the prevalence of such discourses, research on the cultural responsiveness of the four major primary school types in Ireland, and what factors influence the gap between policy and practice across these school types has remained sparse. Addressing this lacuna in research, this exploratory multi-method study draws on data collected from teachers, principals, and parents. This study highlights several factors that assist students from culturally and religiously diverse backgrounds to develop a sense of school belonging and explores the challenges associated with implementing policies related to creating culturally responsive classrooms in Irish primary schools. This study holds international relevance as it highlights key factors facilitating schools’ response to the growing migration trend experienced throughout Europe.

The countervailing trends of secularisation and the emergence of diverse religious affiliations, due in part to upward trends in immigration, have raised many important questions for parents in Ireland when considering their child's educational experience. In a highly denominational educational landscape, school choice is often limited, with many children attending schools that may not align with their family's belief system. Understanding the educational preferences of a diverse demographic of parents regarding school choice can assist policymakers with the development of a more equitable educational system. This study draws on information gathered from parents across the four main types of primary schools in Ireland. This study sheds light on post-secular factors that influence parental preferences, and the challenges parents encounter when choosing primary schools. The findings of this study have policy implications as they highlight key factors that educational systems situated in pluralistic societies must consider.

This article examines the factors affecting the inclusion of migrant students and how they exercise agency in response to the challenges that impede their inclusion within the Ghanaian education system. We draw on agency and inclusion theories in the analysis of interviews and observation data from 68 migrant students across 30 schools. The findings show the negative impact of language, exploitation, labeling, and teasing on migrant students in the absence of inclusive structures. This article brings to the fore the lack of inclusion for migrant students at the basic school level in Ghana and its negative ramifications on the academic achievement of not just migrant students but all students. The study highlights how migrant students demonstrate relational agency in their preference for friendships with people from similar backgrounds in overcoming challenges in school. Our findings contribute to studies on migration and education by addressing some of the challenges and possibilities of comparative and international education in "postcolonial" Africa.

Using Bourdieusian class analysis, this mixed-methods study examines the nuances in the upward mobility of Filipino nurse migrants in the Republic of Ireland as they move from the Philippines to Ireland. The article illustrates how the transnational connections of nurses create cleavages among them as a micro-class category in the host state and argues how the social class position of the family continues to impact on the class conditions of migrants – especially those from lower income backgrounds. In contrast, the financial independence of higher income families leads to better life chances for nurses allowing them to invest in additional economic capital, pursue personal projects and improve their symbolic capital. This can be described as the social reproduction of inequality on a transnational scale, which has repercussions on the present and future class conditions of migrants. The article contributes to discussions on class conditions and mobility from a transnational frame.

The internationalisation of the population of Ireland in recent decades has created a more culturally diverse society. Hence teachers need to have the necessary skills to teach in ethno-culturally diverse classrooms. In addition, teachers need to have required tools and knowledge to teach in increasingly multicultural classrooms. This article looks at ethno-cultural diversity in Irish primary ITE courses. The research draws on documentary sources and interviews with teacher educators and pre-service teachers. The research aims to better understand the preparedness of student teachers to teach in culturally diverse classrooms. The findings demonstrate that although the concept of ethno-cultural diversity as featured in the courses aligns with policy expectations, the autonomy afforded to HEIs in devising how the concept is addressed in ITE courses can mean variable level of preparedness of student teachers in addressing this topic in the classrooms.

In this article, we provide an introduction to the special issue on ‘Challenges to International Student Mobility within Europe’. We first discuss the current context of such mobility and justify our focus on Europe, in particular, by outlining some distinctive features of this geographical region. We then outline the contributions of the articles that make up the special issue—in terms of the challenges they identify, the ways in which they theorise international student mobility, and the responses they proffer. Throughout, we acknowledge the rich extant literature on international student mobility and weave this into our discussion as appropriate.

National identities have been challenged by European integration, globalisation, migration and regionalisation. More recently, there has been a resurgence of nationhood and national identity which begs the question how education systems, and curricula in particular, are responding to this. This article explores how national identity is reflected in history, geography and civic education curricula in France and Ireland. More specifically, it examines how national, European and international aspects are intertwined in these state curricula. This question is explored through a case study of curriculum units and subunits as well as discourses of how identity is being promoted in the curriculum. Our analysis highlights that French curricula privilege national topics, especially in history and civic education, whereas Irish curricula veer between national, European and international (global) notions. Our analysis explores the extent to which macro-political discourses around national identity are reflected in the shaping of the subject curricula in two countries. While the article focuses on France and Ireland, the discussions are also of interest to other jurisdictions regarding the civic expectations and role of schools in promoting national (or other) identities.

Worldwide, HEIs strive to provide the best possible training for their PGRs, the next generation of researchers. PGRs engagement is crucial for a successful completion of their training, however, research on the experiences of PGRs is limited. Moreover, the number of international PGRs has increased steadily over the last decade, which poses the question whether international PGRs have different engagement levels compared to local PGRs. Therefore, thus study is aimed at filling this research gap by investigating the mechanisms that influence the engagement of these groups of students. The paper focuses on the dimensions of (1) students’ engagement with the supervisor, (2) their engagement within the department, and (3) their cognitive engagement, by taking a mixed-method approach that draws on the Irish PGR StudentSurvey.ie 2019 data and 14 semi-structured interviews conducted with PGRs at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in 2021. The findings indicate that differences in engagement between Irish and international students are mainly influenced by perceived financial security and familiarity with institutional structures and environments, are mediated by their relationship with the supervisor, and ultimately influence the time available for engagement. Therefore, the findings will be relevant to policymakers and HEIs as they offer insights into how challenges for PGR students can be mitigated through supervisor support to encourage higher levels of engagement.

The question of ethos has become increasingly prevalent in Irish primary schools as the demographics of the country have changed dramatically in recent years. However, little is known about the factors that influence the implementation of ethos across the numerous school types in Ireland. To address this gap in the research, this article focuses on the factors that impact the implementation of ethos in Irish schools and whether these factors vary based on location of the school. This multi-method study analyses data collected from eight primary schools, drawing on the perspectives of teachers, parents and school principals. The findings indicate that the positionality of all key actors within a school influences the implementation of the ethos. Furthermore, clarity achieved through training, support and leadership assists teachers to maintain the ethos of the school. This study has international relevance as it sheds light on adjustments schools can make to preserve ethos.

This article focuses on deepening the understanding of the factors affecting migrant students' integration in Ghana's educational system. Research on migrant education has primarily centred on northern destination countries. Using the case of West African migrant children in a multiethnic and multilingual Ghanaian setting, the article examines the complex and interplaying factors affecting migrant students' integration into Ghanaian schools. Analysis from 40 semi-structured interviews with teachers and principals drawn from 30 schools offers insights into the challenges faced by schools in trying to help migrant students succeed. The study offers practical insights into the advantages of having teachers with a migrant background, especially the extent to which they use their intercultural competencies in helping migrant students overcome school-related challenges. While the fieldwork was carried out in Ghana, the implications are also of interest to other jurisdictions where schools are faced with migration-related diversity.

Research on migrant children and young people has often focused on the global North and less on South-South migration. This article discusses language and its effect on how young migrants access Ghanaian schools. Through interviews with 68 pupils, 21 parents and 40 teachers and principals from 30 schools across Accra, we found that children and young people from francophone countries were placed in lower than age-appropriate grades due to their lower command of English. Our study highlights the complex linguistic barriers facing migrants youth in an anglocentric educational system. The article discusses the relevance of our results in other postcolonial multilingual nations in the global South.

This article explores the economic and family experiences of first- and second-generation Hong Kong Chinese in the Republic of Ireland. Although they are the earliest Chinese group in Ireland, their lived experiences have been overshadowed by a large influx of mainland Chinese since the end of the 1990s. This is the first empirical study in Ireland that makes the complex lived experiences of this migrant group visible. Their cross-generational economic performance and value of family is illustrated in diaspora theory. The findings are drawn from two sources: qualitative interviews with forty-one interviewees across two generations, and documentary research, including official records. Besides economic contributions to Irish society, the data highlights the complex and interrelated family issues. The high level of cohesion in Hong Kong Chinese families was reflected in their family views. The study also contributes to understandings of new diverse global migratory movements.

This is the first empirical study to explore the ways different types of primary school in the Republic of Ireland integrate children from diverse religious backgrounds. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with principals and teachers, the article focuses on the role of ethos and leadership in the integration processes in one denominational Catholic and two multi-denominational schools. We compare school ethos and enrolment policies, as well as pedagogy and curricular design in religious education across the three types of schools. While the study is carried out in Ireland, it is also of interest to other jurisdictions where schools are faced with increasing religious diversity among their student population.

Political responses to ethno-religious diversity often include the idea of a common culture or (core) values, e.g., the German Leitkultur and comparable concepts in Denmark and the Netherlands. These intellectual debates underlie and inform different types of civic integration policies. Their structure demonstrates the discursive connection between the ostensibly liberal and universal components of the latter – which are often heralded as signs of waning nationalism – with strong emphases on identity and cultural identity. Hence, each debate concerns (1) forms of societal integration, oriented towards (2) forms of civicness, which are nonetheless (3) also cultural, and (4) national. Within this common structure, variation exists as to what should be ‘common,’ what it takes to share it, and the very point of doing so. Advocacy of Leitkultur as so many attempts to civilise newcomers – or exclude those who are unamenable to such efforts – reflects the continuing core of nationalistic ambition despite novel semantic content. This ambition, which equivocates between dubious ‘manifest’ functions – educating minorities, reminding majorities of forgotten heritage – fails also to serve ‘latent’ functions of trust and solidarity building.

ABSTRACT This article examines the post-school pathways of Russian-speaking students in Ireland after completing secondary education; the importance of personal and institutional factors in shaping their transition process, and the role of parents and schools in achieving the post-school goals. The article draws on the qualitative exploratory study of 14 Russian-speaking migrant-origin students, to see how this group progresses beyond secondary schooling in the Irish education system. The study found that all participants had high educational aspirations. Most students achieved their desired first-choice post-school pathway, despite coming from a different linguistic and cultural background. The article points to a range of factors, which affect the post-school transition of migrant young people. The findings are discussed in light of Ireland’s liberal welfare state model with neo-liberal tendencies where those in positions of power can buy into the advantages of the more neo-liberal side of the regime.