Geraldine Maughan
Limerick Institute of Technology,Ireland
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Clin Exp Psychol
Social care lecturing staff at
Ireland’s Limerick Institute
of Technology have devised a
personal development curriculum
and pedagogy for social care
learners for each year of their
study. This integrated model
can be traced back to elements
of psychology, sociology, and
philosophy. The module aims to
equip social care learners to work
enabling adults and children in a
range of social care settings, who
are sometimes marginalized and
vulnerable, to be empowered
to recognize their own potential
equivalent to how social care
learners recognize theirs during
their engagement with the
personal development modules.
Personal development is often
a transformative process within
the relationship dyad between
lecturer and learner who cocreate
this pedagogical learning
space. A person-centered
methodology is at the heart
of this teaching. The purpose
of this study is to evaluate the
effectiveness and relevance of
this module for social care work
graduates. The purpose of the
research is to discover if personal
development provides beneficial
learning from the perspective
of social care work graduates
and their in-service supervisors.
Engagement with new ideas and
research findings throughout
my Ph.D. study will facilitate
curriculum evaluation and change
if necessary.
Methodology & Theoretical
Orientation: Stems from an
Interpretive/constructivist
qualitative case study research
design. Preliminary findings from
a pilot study outline learnersâ??
positive experiences both
professionally and personally with
the module.
Conclusions: From the pilot study
suggest continuing the study and
recommendations to date advise
continuing with interviews and
solicited diaries but not focus
groups.
Geraldine is a Founder and PI for all research projects under ASCEND’s research group. ASCEND (Applied Social Care Education and practice in New Directions) at Limerick Institute of Technology, Ireland. Prior to taking up her lecturing and research post in 2013, she worked as a Social Care Worker with vulnerable families, young people in residential care, young people in foster care, young people on the cusp of coming in to care, young people involved with the justice system, mental health, and homeless services. Her current research interests are attachment and relationships, Marte Meo therapy, vulnerable people and Personal development for Social Care Learners. She has spoken and published nationally and internationally on these topics. She sits on a research panel for the Ombudsman for Children’s Office, a SIG examining the ethics of young peoples’ participation in research and the Limerick Citywide Child and Youth Forum.
E-mail: Geraldine.maughan@lit.ie
