Postgraduate Researchers

MPhil Research Student - School of Social Science, Law and Education

Title of Research Project: Representations of Residential Child Care in The Irish Times newspaper from 1870 to 2022.

Project Abstract:

Guided by Social Representations Theory, this study explores how representations of residential childcare in The Irish Times have changed over time. A newspaper was chosen as the data source as mass media is proposed to have power over creating and communicating representations to the public. The representations explored include those of children, the construction of childhood and children’s needs, and the role of other people/parties in the lives of children in care. Grounded in the pragmatic paradigm, quantitative and qualitative content analyses were conducted. Data was collected from ten time periods between 1870 to 2022 from The Irish Times Digital Archive. Measurable trends in the frequency and prevalence of terminology were investigated through the quantitative content analysis. A sample of 40 documents were analysed qualitatively to examine how the topic was framed and presented to the public through assessing themes and narratives in the documents. Quantitative and qualitative findings revealed that representations of children and their needs have evolved over time in relation to care. Main findings show that children have been represented as a risk to society, or as at risk from others, with children presented as a risk framed as needing institutionalisation/saving (1870-1970) or as needing individualised care (1942-1992). Children presented as at risk are framed as needing care and protection (1929-2022). Former institutional inmates, and children in the care system have been represented as victims and survivors (1970-2022). Children in care have also been represented as future citizens (1870-2014). It is concluded that there are evolving and sometimes reoccurring representations of residential childcare between 1870 to 2022 in the newspaper, implicating the importance of reflexivity and considering context in relation to representations of children, their needs and care. Despite an increasing emphasis on children’s views being taken into account, since the 1990s it was found that children’s own voices have been underrepresented in the newspaper documents.

Supervisor:  

Dr Fiona McSweeney