3rd August 2009

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A University of Ulster research project into the effects of integrated and segregated schooling in Northern Ireland shows that sectarianism could be defused if more Catholic and Protestant children were sent to mixed-religion schools.

Ulster psychologists studied 1,732 children at ages 11, 12 and 14 at integrated schools, Catholic schools and Protestant schools, and found those who attend with children from a different faith have much more contact with members of other religious groups, both in school and out of school, than children who attended segregated schools.

The results of the study, funded by the European Union Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation, were published in the June edition of the British Journal of Educational Psychology.

Professor Maurice Stringer, from the University of Ulster, who led the study, told The Times newspaper that the study provides support for educating Protestants and Catholics together as a means of creating cross-community friendships and moderating political attitudes in a divided society.
 
Just 6% of Northern Ireland’s 330,000 children attend integrated schools.

“You wouldn’t expect children in segregated schools to have much contact across the religious divide. What was most surprising from this study is that firmly held group attitudes towards the central issues that Protestants and Catholics disagree on most, changed through friendships in mixed schools because they got the opportunity to mix,” Stringer said.

The researchers used a children’s political-attitude scale to measure pupils’ stance towards issues such as support for the Catholic and Protestant faiths, support or lack of it for parades, discrimination by the police, and British government involvement in Northern Ireland.

Professor Stringer added that teachers in mixed schools in Northern Ireland can find it difficult to build a school ethos or challenge segregated attitudes. But, he said, the results of the study suggest that simply allowing children to mix and become friends in a supportive school environment is enough to produce change.

“What we found is if you have structured activities in schools organised by a teacher, they don’t have the same impact,” he said. “So we went back and asked the children why. It turned out that when children are creating a friendship, it’s important that they did it by themselves, such as choosing who to sit next to in the cafeteria. Teachers would be better off facilitating these contacts and friendships rather than focusing on structuring group interactions.”

Between 35% and 40% of Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland live in largely segregated environments. This is particularly evident in schools, with 94% attending schools with members of their own denominational group, Stringer’s research pointed out.

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David Young
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