What price harmony? Teachers’ methods of delivering an ethos of tolerance and respect for diversity in an integrated school in Northern Ireland

Integrated Education, Intergroup Relations, and Political Identities in Northern Ireland

“…Furthermore, there is empirical evidence to suggest that contact concerns, rather than curriculum issues, have dominated the working agenda of these schools. More importantly, as Donnelly (2006) notes, this view appears to be both shared and endorsed by the teachers themselves, with many teachers in these schools believing that as long as the school declared itself "integrated" and had roughly equal numbers of Catholic and Protestant pupils, teachers, and governors, it would, by its very nature, inculcate an ethos of tolerance and mutual understanding.…”

“…Furthermore, not all staff in integrated schools have been equally proactive in achieving an integrationist ethos. In a recent study, Caitlin Donnelly (2004aDonnelly ( , 2004b found considerable disparity among teachers with regard to how an ethos of tolerance and respect could be created and maintained in the school. Donnelly and Joanne Hughes (2006) supported these findings and found that not only was there considerable disparity among parents, teachers, and principals as to what constituted an integrated ethos but discussions with pupils concerning politically contentious issues were deliberatively avoided.…”

Understanding and responding to diversity in the primary classroom: an international study

“…McGarvey et al, 1998;Benincasa, 2002;Tomlinson, 2003;Donnelly, 2004;UNESCO, 2004). One influential model from the United States (Tomlinson, 2003) has proven particularly useful for researchers and practitioners alike.…”

The integrated school in a conflict society: a comparative analysis of two integrated primary schools in Northern Ireland

“…The preference for avoidance in mixed religious groups is not new and has also been identified as a key trend in other research in Northern Ireland (Donnelly, 2004), but what is particularly interesting in this research is that reference to and expressions of identity appeared not just to be avoided but their articulation was routinely regarded as problematic in the schools. The expression of the different 'world views' or allusion to the different political and cultural perspectives of Catholics and Protestants posed particular challenges and seemed to be framed as 'controversial' 'sectarian' and 'bigoted'.…”

“…Yet the popularity of the schools in conjunction with their capacity for challenging segregated educational structures in Northern Ireland tends to obscure the fact that clear evidence of their potential for improving intergroup relations is both limited and inconsistent. So, for example, whilst some researchers have argued that the schools have a capacity for promoting social cohesion, forgiveness and reconciliation (McGlynn, Niens, Cairns, & Hewstone, 2004), other analyses are more cautious in their assessments and have suggested that the concept of integrated education is often not well understood by those charged with delivering it and that the values of teachers can constrain schools in their quest to address the issues related to the conflict and so promote mutual understanding (Donnelly, 2004;Gallagher, Smith, & Montgomery, 2003).…”