Information for Schools
Schools play a crucial role in our research, ensuring that our findings are representative of teachers or children in Ireland and that our efforts remain relevant to schools and families. For these reasons, it is important for us to form strong links and increase communication with teachers, principals, and other key stakeholders.
We seek to build partnerships by offering teachers and students the chance to be part of exciting research studies. We also regularly engage in outreach events, including interactive workshops, talks, and learning materials to share important research findings relevant to schools across Ireland. See our Public Engagement tab for examples of some of these outreach activities.
We are always eager to hear from schools, so whether you want to get involved or just have a quick query, please get in touch with us. See below for details of a current opportunity and find out how your school can take part!
Open Invitation to Primary Schools Across Ireland!
From September 2021, we are inviting primary schools in Ireland to get involved with one of our ongoing research projects.
About the project
The TIC-ToCS Project examines sleep and cognition in typically-developing children and in children with Tourette syndrome, a disorder causing involuntary movements and sounds called ‘tics’. It affects up to 1 in 100 children worldwide, but research and support is very limited in Ireland. For this reason, we need lots of children with and without Tourette syndrome to take part!
What the study involves
This study specifically needs children aged between 8 and 12 to take part, so is suitable for 2nd to 6th class students. There are two ways for children to participate:
1) Completing two short online games that measure cognitive skills.
2) Completing a sleep study that involves wearing a wrist watch that tracks sleep-wake cycles before completing two short online games.
How your school can take part
We want to make it as easy as possible for schools to participate, so taking part simply means a member of our team (with full garda clearance) will drop off a box of information sheets that children can bring home and return with signed consent forms if interested. Parents have the opportunity to discuss the study in further detail over phone or email. We will then arrange a suitable time to deliver ‘sleep packs’ to the school (zip-lock bags with watches, instructions, and questionnaires – sanitised and quarantined in advance).
Following this study, we would love the opportunity to provide a talk or workshop on a related topic. This can be for students or teachers and virtual or in-person – we want to tailor it to the needs and wants of your school.
Get in touch
If you would like to get involved or hear more, you can contact Lisa at lisa.keenan1@ucdconnect.ie to discuss over email or to arrange a chat.