Research and Innovation

As well as conducting research – research dissemination is also imperative. The School of Home Economics and the National Centre of Excellence are delighted to have won the bid to host the 25th IFHE World Congress in 2024. This is the largest, most prestigious event for Home Economics in the world and the international conference attracts up to 1500 international delegates. Planning for the event will commence imminently and the event will be support by Fáilte Ireland.

Current PhD Research

Frances Clarke  
Frances is a practicing teacher of Home Economics with over 30 years’ experience teaching at second level. Her current PhD research focuses on assessment for learning and integrating assessment with instruction in the Home Economics classroom.  

Sonya Coffey   
Sonya’s research aims to examine the role of Home Economists in the community both nationally and internationally. She is specifically looking at the role of Home Management Advisors in Ireland and internationally the provision of extension services. 

Connor Dupuits  
Connor’s research is around food policy pertaining to Ireland’s healthy eating guidelines, through the lens of ecological sustainability. His research aims to investigate the efficacy of sustainable dietary guidelines to ascertain food literacy advice for the Irish population that positively impacts the environment and overall health. 

Aisling Gilroy 
Aisling’s research aims to determine how we can instil motivation in junior cycle students during food practical classes by investigating a range of tasks that foster the three basic physiological needs (autonomy, relatedness and competence) that make up Self-Determination Theory.  

Rachel Hastings  
Rachel’s PhD research focuses on developing an understanding of the intersection of place, knowledge, and practice for education for sustainable and responsible living in Junior Cycle Home Economics. The work aims to contribute support to Home Economics teachers integrating education for sustainable and responsible living into their classroom teaching and learning practices.  

Sarah Hennessy   
Sarah’s PhD research area focuses on food literacy, specifically pertaining to the development of food literacy skills of farmers in Ireland.  Her research aims to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of Irish farmers in relation to the use of Home Economics for the enhancement of food literacy skills.  

Caroline Hopper
Caroline’s research focuses on investigating the nutritional awareness and dietary knowledge of GAA players in Ireland. By exploring players attitudes, beliefs, and practices in relation to nutrition, this research aims to provide insights that will inform the co- creation of an evidence based educational model, building on the existing “Recipes for Success” toolkit to enhance performance, recovery, and overall health. 

Michelle McCabe 
Michelle’s research focuses on the areas of textile craft and wellbeing. The work aims to explore a link between textile craft and wellbeing in young adults in Ireland.  

Laura McDermott  
Laura’s research aims to investigate the perceptions, attitudes and values of primary school stakeholders in relation to the inclusion of a Home Economics related module (focusing on food education) within the Irish primary school curriculum.  

Kevin Mullaney 
The aim of Kevin’s PhD research is to explore the effectiveness of food education interventions at the post-primary level in preventing diet-related diseases. It examines students’ perceptions and attitudes toward ethical and ecological food systems, highlighting the importance of sustainability in dietary choices. Additionally, it focuses on the food literacy skills necessary for students to adopt and maintain diets that are both ethical and ecologically responsible. 

Michelle O’Leary   
Michelle’s PhD research focuses on examining the nutrition knowledge, dietary intake, and food-related behaviours of university students. This project is interested in investigating the relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake as well as food and cooking skills.   

Danielle Phelan 
Danielle’s PhD research aims to examine practical subject teachers’ knowledge, understanding and practices in their application of UDL as an inclusive pedagogical approach in Junior Cycle practical subjects. The research also examines practical subject teachers’ knowledge and understanding of UDL in creating an inclusive classroom in Junior Cycle practical subjects and to determine the extent to which UDL is practically applied in Junior Cycle classes in secondary education through analysis of teachers’ pedagogical practices in promoting inclusive classroom practices. 

Elaine Walsh 
Elaine’s research focuses on Menopausal transition and its perceived impact to equality in the workplace. The broad context of her research is to do an interpretative phenomenological analysis relating to the impact of the menopausal transition within the workplace in educational institutions in Ireland.  

Grace Winters   
Grace’s PhD research focuses on pedagogical frameworks that underpin the practicum element of the Home Economics discipline. Grace has a keen interest in developing innovative pedagogical frameworks to enhance the teaching and learning of practical Home Economics.