Inter-group contact at school and social attitudes: evidence from Northern Ireland

Hughes, Joanne; Campbell, Andrea Louise; Lolliot, Simon; Hewstone, Miles; Gallagher, Tony

doi:10.1080/03054985.2013.857595

Cited by 31 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The third phase, between 2013 to the present involves the continuing support of existing partnerships from the second phase and other related partnerships. In this phase there were 16 partnerships which involved approximately 4000 students (Duffy andGallagher 2014, 2015;Gallagher et al 2010;FGS McClure Watters 2010; see also Donnelly and Gallagher 2008;Daniels et al 2009;Gallagher and Carlisle 2009;Knox 2010;Knox 2013, 2015;Hughes et al 2012Hughes et al , 2013.…”

Section: Shared Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shared Education in contested spaces: How collaborative networks improve communities and schools

Duffy

Gallagher

2016

J Educ Change

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Societies which suffer from ethnic and political divisions are often characterised by patterns of social and institutional separation, and sometimes these divisions remain even after political conflict has ended. This has occurred in Northern Ireland where there is, and remains, a long-standing pattern of parallel institutions and services for the different communities. A socially significant example lies in the education system where a parallel system of Catholic and Protestant schools has been in place since the establishment of a national school system in the 1830s. During the years of political violence in Northern Ireland a variety of educational interventions were implemented to promote reconciliation, but most of them failed to create any systemic change. This paper describes a postconflict educational initiative known as Shared Education which aims to promote social cohesion and school improvement by encouraging sustained and regular shared learning between students and broader collaboration between teachers and school leaders from different schools. The paper examines the background to work on Shared Education, describes a 'sharing continuum' which emerged as an evaluation and policy tool from this work and considers evidence from a case study of a Shared Education school partnership in a divided city in Northern Ireland. The paper will conclude by highlighting some of the significant social and policy impact of the Shared Education work.

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Section: Shared Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shared Education in contested spaces: How collaborative networks improve communities and schools

Duffy

Gallagher

2016

J Educ Change

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“…This may be particularly the case for children and young people who attend religiously segregated schools whereby school norms are linked with what it means to be an ingroup member, as well as teachers often being primarily members of the ingroup. Yet, school norms in this context may not influence outcomes, such as intergroup attitudes, over and above direct contact experiences (Hughes, Campbell, Lolliot, Hewstone, & Gallagher, ). Therefore, in a divided society, studying both peer and school norms to understand how they may predict direct contact experiences and, in turn, intergroup outcomes is particularly important.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived peer and school norm effects on youth antisocial and prosocial behaviours through intergroup contact in Northern Ireland

Taylor

2018

British J Social Psychol

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In adolescence, youth spend a high proportion of their time with their peers and in school; it is hardly surprising therefore that perceptions of peer and school norms have a strong influence on their attitudes and behaviours. These norms, however, do not always influence youth in the same way. Building on past research, the present study examines the role of peer norms and school norms in influencing the quantity and quality of intergroup contact, as well as the impact of such contact on positive and negative intergroup behaviours. Youth (aged 14-16) living in Northern Ireland (N = 466, evenly split by religion and gender) were recruited through their school as part of a two-wave study and completed a series of survey measures including intergroup contact (quality and quantity), norms (peer and school), and participation in sectarian antisocial behaviour and outgroup prosocial behaviour. Mediation analysis was conducted in Mplus. Controlling for wave 1 responses on contact and behavioural outcomes, findings demonstrate that more positive peer norms are associated with less participation in antisocial behaviour and more participation in prosocial outgroup behaviours through increased and better quality intergroup contact. Positive school norms were also associated with increased prosocial behaviour, but only though better quality contact. Findings demonstrate the relative importance of peer norms compared to school norms for this age group. The results have implications for school-based interventions that aim to improve intergroup relations and highlight the importance of peer networks to promote more positive outgroup behaviours in divided societies such as Northern Ireland.

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“…() and Hughes et al . (), these results show that even where the ethos is one which seemingly relates to only one community within a divided context, where schools have a mixed intake the outcomes for relationship building are positive. This point resonates in other divided contexts, where education systems are organised according to faith or other defining characteristics that are deemed critical to social harmony.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…Exploring the diversity found within the separate system in greater detail, Hughes et al . () categorised schools based upon the opportunities for intergroup contact found within them. Similar to the results of Stringer et al .…”

Section: Promoting Positive Intergroup Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…() focused on a single cross‐group friendship through a friendship quality scale, whereas Hughes et al . () examined the number of close cross‐group friendships more generally as ‘friends that you spend a lot of time with, enjoy their company, and have a strong connection with’ (J. Hughes, personal communication, 10 May 2016). A limitation to this prior work, however, is the reliance on self‐reports to determine the number of cross‐group relationships a pupil has without taking into consideration the opportunities for cross‐group friendships within the social network they are embedded in.…”

Section: Exploring Cross‐group Friendshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integrating Northern Ireland: Cross‐group friendships in integrated and mixed schools

Blaylock

Hughes

Wölfer

et al. 2018

British Educational Res J

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While Northern Ireland strives to build a shared society, the current reality is that everyday experiences are still shaped by division along ethno-religious lines. This is particularly pronounced in the education system, where more than 92% of pupils attend separate schools. Within the predominantly separate education system, however, exists a small collection of schools which cater to a more heterogeneous pupil body and offer the opportunity for young people from both communities to meet and interact, and potentially develop cross-group friendships. The present study compares the network-based cross-group friendships within two such school types; an integrated and a separate post-primary school. These schools boast a distinct ethos yet they similarly enrol students from Catholic and Protestant backgrounds. Findings reveal that both schools show a high level of interconnection between pupils; however, the integrated school, with an ethos that openly supports social cohesion, shows a greater tendency towards cross-group interactions and best friendships than those found within the separate school. In line with contact theory, these findings suggest that it may not be enough to simply create opportunities for intergroup contact but that optimal conditions, such as institutional support, may be a prerequisite for positive relationships to flourish. Implications for educational policies designed to promote greater cross-community contact are discussed.

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Inter-group contact at school and social attitudes: evidence from Northern Ireland

Cited by 31 publications

References 16 publications

Shared Education in contested spaces: How collaborative networks improve communities and schools

Shared Education in contested spaces: How collaborative networks improve communities and schools

Perceived peer and school norm effects on youth antisocial and prosocial behaviours through intergroup contact in Northern Ireland

Integrating Northern Ireland: Cross‐group friendships in integrated and mixed schools

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