Emily Fortune
My thesis focused on students’ positive psychology traits and their association with their Irish language proficiency and year of study. The specific positive psychology traits that were analysed in the study were Self-Efficacy and Grit. The research gathered 80 participants who were Student Primary Teachers. The study used an online survey to gather participants' data, which was collected and analysed with statistics.
The current study analysed two dependent variables, which were self-efficacy and grit. There were also two independent variables, which were the participants' Irish language proficiency(very well/well and not well) and their year of study. The study aimed to gain an insight into the relation between the variables. The research was justified as there was a lack of research in this area relative to an Irish population, and looking in particular at the Irish language in relation to the positive psychology traits. The research aimed to add to the literature. The participants gathered for the study were current student primary teachers. This ensured the sample would all be students learning the Irish language. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to gather the participants through social media. A between-groups independent cross-sectional design using an online survey to gather data was employed. Data of 80 participants, 61 female, 19 male, between the age range of 18 to 23, with a mean age of 21, were used, and statistical analyses were carried out.
The statistical analysis utilised a Two-way between-groups Multivariate Analysis of variance to test for a significant difference between participants' Irish Proficiency and Year of Study in terms of their overall Self-Efficacy and Grit. A significant difference was not found for any of the variables in the multivariate analysis of variance. There was a linear positive medium correlation between Self-Efficacy and Grit. The research addresses a gap in the literature on second language education and positive psychology traits by incorporating the Irish language and using an Irish sample of Student Primary Teachers. The unexpected results may be due to the small sample size not providing an accurate depiction of the population. The thesis contributes to the field of educational psychology, educational policies and guidelines. The research highlights the need for further studies incorporating Irish language education and Irish samples.
My name is Emily Fortune. I am a BSc Applied Psychology student. I chose the Applied Psychology practice path. I gained an interest in modules like Educational Psychology and the Education and Inclusion module. I attained valuable experience while in IADT, completing placement in an ASD class in a primary school. I also accumulated skills and knowledge from the Altruism project. I completed volunteering for MarineWatch, which is a suicide prevention organisation. I gained experience in Barrettstown while completing my degree in IADT as well. I hope to continue studying and to complete a professional Master of Education in Primary Education.
