A Journey of Enquiry: a historical, legal and economic analysis of further education in Ireland from 1800 to 2020

This examination of the historical evolution of Further Education in Ireland emerged from a curiosity about the unique and complex development of the sector within Irish education. Further Education has been depicted for many years as what it is not, rather than what it actually is. We are informed that it is not second level but equally it is not third level. The in-between status of Further Education in Ireland therefore, belies the positive influence this sector has had on people’s lives for two hundred years. Uncovering how Further Education was conceived and how it evolved over the years, allows those working or studying in the sector to make sense of the complexities the sector reveals of itself and how things happen within. This research emerged from practice in the field that lead to an exploration of how the sector was constructed and moulded by historical, legal and economic drivers over the course of two centuries. Analysis of policy, policy implementation shifts, and the reasons for those changes, reveal a constantly changing landscape within which Further Education in Ireland was required to operate. Examination of these aspects reveals that Further Education developed in a dynamic and chameleon-like manner, capable of repeatedly changing its fundamental being, according to the needs of its paymaster and without definitively outlining its boundaries or identity as a sector. Taking a , historical, legal and economic focus, as this research does, allows the reader to follow the thinking behind political and economic decisions which influenced the sector but were little known to those students educated within its many guises, and also reveals the systemic challenges of its position and status, as the sector struggled to clearly record its presence and activities either in terms of financial resources, student numbers or results in the field of education. Understanding this unique historical evolution is key to appreciating the particular form and position which Further Education currently occupies in the Irish educational landscape.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

phd

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

National University of Ireland, Maynooth

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• McPartland, Eileen

Language dc:language

en