2026-10-11T17:35:49Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/32805197 2026-10-01T16:17:36Z portal_1172 item_type_8 month_year_10_2026

An integrated future? Exploring young people's experiences of integrated education in Northern Ireland Jessica Hadden (24292550) PUREID: 667569663 integrated education intercultural education Integrated schools first emerged in 1981 as a response to Northern Ireland’s divided education system, aiming to encourage mutual respect and understanding between those drawn mainly from the Catholic and Protestant communities. While this aspiration remains central to the integrated ethos, a continued focus on ‘traditional’ divisions may neglect the increasingly complex dynamics between students from diverse backgrounds in post-Agreement Northern Ireland. In the context of a renewed policy drive to enhance the development of integrated education, it is useful to consider how its mission is understood by those currently enrolled in the sector. Deploying intercultural education as a conceptual lens, this study explores young people's experiences of integrated education within two schools – one grant-maintained and one transformed – to ascertain whether the stated aims of the ethos are reflected in their understanding of integrated education. The study employed a sequential mixed-methods approach. Data were collected through a survey of Year 11 pupils in both schools, followed by a written task, pupil focus groups, and semi-structured interviews with teachers. 2026-10-01T16:17:36Z Text Thesis 10.17034/32805197.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/An_integrated_future_Exploring_young_people_s_experiences_of_integrated_education_in_Northern_Ireland/32805197 All Rights Reserved