Catherine Maunsell
Dr.
Dr. Catherine (Kay) Maunsell is Associate Professor of Psychology, Human Development and Education in the School of Human Development, DCU Institute of Education. She is Programme Chair of the landmark Department of Education-funded Level 9 Graduate Diploma in SPHE/RSE. From 2019-2021 Kay was the Principal Investigator on the TEACH-RSE Research Project on Teacher Professional Development and Relationships and Sexuality Education, funded through an IRC Coalesce Research Award (2019/147) with the support of the HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme.
Teaching
Kay lectures across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes offered within the Institute of Education, including the BAJH (Human Development) and the PME Post-Primary Education. She is Chair of the Level 9 Graduate Diploma in SPHE/RSE, the first specialist teacher professional learning and development programme in SPHE/RSE in Ireland which is supported through funding from the Department of Education.
Until 2021, she was the Subject Co-ordinator of Developmental and Educational Psychology on the BSc Psychology and MSc Psychology (Conversion) programmes offered through the DCU School of Psychology.
Dr. Maunsell supervises students' research from undergraduate through to doctoral levels, and welcomes enquiries regarding Masters and Doctoral supervision in areas pertaining to the interface of Psychology, Human Development and Education, with particular interest in supervising research on themes relating to Relationships and Sexuality Education RSE and Teacher Professional Development and Child/Adolescent Rights. She is fully committed to supporting her students' development and, in turn, learning from them.
Research
Dr. Maunsell maintains an active research profile in the broad fields of developmental psychology, education, social justice and human rights. She is currently pursing her research interests in the rights of children and young people and those most marginalised to comprehensive, right-based, inclusive Relationships and Sexuality Education.
Kay has also been engaged as Irish Co-ordinator on a range of large-scale EU projects and national research on themes, inter alia the role of the education system in social inclusion and and teachers’ role as enablers of human rights in the education system.
Engagement
Kay is a founding and current member of the Steering Committee of the Centre for Human Rights and Citizenship Education CHRCE, a DCU Research Centre in the DCU Institute of Education.
From 2012 to 2016, she was the St. Patrick’s College, Director of Quality Promotion and Assurance and following Incorporation until 2019 was the designated representative of the Institute of Education to the DCU Quality Promotion Committee.
Dr. Maunsell is an active member of national and international organisations devoted to research on child and adolescent development and education.
Peer Reviewed Journal
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Bourke, A.; Mallon, B.; Maunsell, C. (2022) 'Realisation of Children's Rights under the un Convention on the Rights of the Child to, in, and through Sexuality Education'. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHILDRENS RIGHTS, 30 . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2011 | Maunsell, C., (with Carrigan, J.) (2011) 'Invited presentation at the Inaugural Meeting of the International Network on Prison Education (PEN): University of Bergen'. Educational experiences of prisoners studying within the prison system: A life history approach, . |
Conference Publication
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Maunsell, Catherine, Ashling Bourke, Aisling Costello, Claire Cullen and Malgosia Machowska-Kosciak. (2020) European Association of Research on Adolescence EARA Preparing teachers to teach comprehensive sexuality education to children and young people: Findings from the Irish TEACH-RSE Research Study | |
| 2019 | Bourke, A. and Maunsell, C. (2019) International Convention of Psychological Science (ICPS) The Child-Parent Relationship, Negative Life Events, and Psychopathology in Childhood Paris, France, | |
| 2019 | Maunsell, C. and Bourke, A. (2019) National Sex Education Conference NSEC TEACH-RSE: A Study of the Role of Irish Initial Teacher Education Programmes in Preparing Teachers to Teach Sex Education Newark, New Jersey, | |
| 2019 | Hadfield, K., Bourke, A. and Maunsell, C. (2019) International Convention of Psychological Science (ICPS) The Spillover Hypothesis: How Family Dyads Impact Parent-Child Relationship Quality Paris, France, | |
| 2018 | Maunsell, C. and Bourke, A. (2018) 10th European Conference on Gender Equality in Higher Education Enabling Gender Equality: Exploring the Potential of Teacher Personal and Professional Development Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, | |
| 2016 | Maunsell, C & Bourke, A (2016) Social, Personal and Health Education SPHE Network Conference SPHE/RSE in 21st Century Irish Post-Primary Schools: Meeting Opportunities and Challenges of Proposed Junior Cycle Reform through Teacher Professional Development | |
| 2015 | Maunsell, C. and Bourke, A. (2015) European Symposium on Adolescent Research; Organised by European Association for Research on Adolescence EARA and the Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton: London Adolescent Social, Emotional and Sexual Health and Wellbeing: Opportunities for Initial and Continuing Teacher Education | |
| 2015 | Maunsell, C. and Bourke, A. (2015) 10th Biannual Conference of the International Association for the Study of Sexuality Culture and Society, IASSCS, DCU, Dublin Sexual literacies among young adolescents in Ireland: To talk (to teacher) or not to talk | |
| 2014 | Maunsell, C. and Bourke, A. (2014) Bi-annual Conference of the European Association for Research on Adolescence EARA, Izmir, Turkey Emergent Sexual Development in Adolescence | |
| 2013 | Maunsell, C. and Bourke, A. (2013) 13th ISPCAN European Regional Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Dublin Understanding teachers: Irish teachers’ understanding of human rights and human rights education: Implications for child protection | |
| 2011 | Maunsell, C., (with Downes, P.) (2011) Presentation to the LLL2010 Final Conference, Leuven Lifelong Learning for All? Policies and practices towards underrepresented and socially excluded groups | |
| 2011 | Maunsell, C., (with Downes, P.) (2011) Presentation to the Final Conference on Implementing the Action Plan on Adult Learning, European Commission, Budapest Access to higher education for traditionally marginalised groups in Europe | |
| 2011 | Maunsell, C., (with Downes, P.) (2011) Invited Speaker at the Final Conference on Implementing the Action Plan on Adult Learning, European Commission, Budapest Access to higher education for traditionally marginalised groups in Europe | |
| 2011 | Maunsell, C., Oberman, R., & Waldron, F. (2011) Presentation at the Conference on Opportunities and Challenges: Implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Queen’s University Belfast: Research Forum for the Child The Right to Human Rights Education: Teachers’ Understanding and Delivery of Human Rights Education in Irish Primary School | |
| 2011 | Maunsell, C. (2011) Conference on Re-imagining Initial Teacher Education: Perspectives on Transformation, St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, Dublin Transforming teaching for lifelong learning: The role of initial teacher education within a lifelong learning framework | |
| 2010 | Maunsell, C. (2010) Presentation to SCUTREA Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults, University of Warwick ‘Tracing our roots: imagining our future’: A life history of adult education in the Republic of Ireland | |
| 2009 | Ruane, B., & Maunsell, C. (2009) Presentation to the International Conference on Human Rights and Citizenship Education, Birkbeck College, University of London A vital part of citizenship: Teachers’ understandings of human rights and implications for initial teacher education | |
| 2007 | Maunsell, C., (with Downes, P.) (2007) Presentation to the Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning, University of Stirling Strategies for the ‘New’Educational Transition: Addressing the lifelong educational needs of young foreign nationals in Ireland | |
| 2023 | Keating, S.; Morrissey, B.; Nohilly, M.; Maunsell, C. (Eds) (2023) Unmute Yourself! Communication and Education in Response to Crises Proceedings from the 5th SPHE Network Conference Dublin City University, https://sphenetwork.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2021-Conference-Proceedings.pdf | |
| 2016 | Maunsell, C. & Bourke, A. (2016) SPHE Network Conference Proceedings Social, Personal and Health Education and Intimate Citizenship Education in 21st Century Irish Post-Primary Schools: Meeting Opportunities and Challenges of Junior Cycle Reform through Teacher Professional Development | |
| 2010 | Maunsell, C. (2010) Presentation to the University Framework Implementation Network (FIN) EU and national lifelong learning policies and practice [Link] |
Conference Contribution
Published Report
Commissioned Report
Research Interests
Child and Adolescent Sexual Development; Relationships and Sexuality Education RSE; Child and Adolescent Rights; Child and Adolescent Wellbeing; Teacher Professional Development