Scoláireacht PhD: Measúnú fuaime urlabhra a fhorbairt do pháistí le Gaeilge

Post curtha suas: Dé hAoine, 26 Meán Fómhair

Spriocdháta d’iarratais: Aoine, 24 Deireadh Fómhair

Scoil: Scoil na dTeiripí Cliniciúla

Cineál Conrartha: Téarma Seasta Lánaimseartha

Cineál Poist: Taighde

Tuarastal: féach ar an bhfógra le haghaidh sonraí

Achoimhre:

Tá iarratais á lorg le haghaidh scoláireacht PhD 4 bliana a fhorbróidh agus a phíolótóidh measúnú ar fhuaim labhartha na Gaeilge do leanaí dátheangacha in Éirinn. Beidh an tráchtas PhD bunaithe ar fhoilsitheoireacht.

 Cur síos ar an Taighde

Tá cearta reachtúla ag leanaí a labhraíonn Gaeilge faoi Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (2002/2021) sheirbhísí poiblí mar teiripe urlabhra agus cainte trí mheán na Gaeilge. Mar sin féin, is fíorbheagán uirlisí atá ag teiripeoirí urlabhra agus cainte (TUC) chun na leanaí seo a mheasúnú agus a chóireáil. Tá sé seo i gcodarsnacht leis an iliomad acmhainní atá ar fáil do theiripeoirí i mBéarla. Ós rud é go bhfuil formhór na bpáistí a labhraíonn Gaeilge dátheangach, cianaíonn an easpa acmhainní Gaeilge seo nach ndéantar measúnú agus cóireáil orthu ach i mBéarla. Is minic a bhíonn de thoradh air seo ná go gcailltear an Ghaeilge agus go dtógtar ceannas ar an mBéarla.

                Réimse amháin nach bhfuil aon uirlis ar fáil i nGaeilge faoi láthair is ea forbairt agus neamhoird urlabhartha fhuaime. Ciallaíonn neamhoird urlabhra fuaime ná go mbíonn deacracht ag leanaí fuaimeanna agus focail áirithe a rá thar aois ionchais, ionas go bhfuil sé deacair an rud a deir siad a thuiscint. I measc na neamhoird fuaime cainte tá neamhoird urlabhraíocht (deacracht fuaimeanna áirithe a rá) agus neamhoird fhóineolaíocha (deacracht le patrúin fuaime). Cuireann gach neamhord urlabhra fuaime leanaí i mbaol níos mó maidir le deacracht léitheoireachta agus litrithe. Mar sin is féidir le neamhoird fuaime cur isteach ar fhorbairt acadúil agus shóisialta araon.

Is measúnú ar fhuaim cainte é an Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP; Dodd et al., 2002) a úsáideann teireaproirí urlbhartha go coitianta in Éirinn agus tá eolas normatach ar fáil faoi láthair do pháistí Éireannacha a labhraíonn Béarla san urilis. Is uirlis úsáideach é toisc go n-aimsíonn agus go ndéanann sé idirdhealú idir cineálacha éagsúla neamhoird urlabhra fuaime mar neamhoird urlabhraíocht agus fóineolaíochta, agus cabhraíonn sé le foirmeacha cearta cóireála a phleanáil. Déanfaidh an stadéir dochtúireachta seo leagan Gaeilge den DEAP a fhorbairt agus a phíolótú do leanaí a labhraíonn Gaeilge idir 3-7 mbliana d’aois. Áireoidh an tionscadal príomhpháirtithe leasmhara ar nós tuismitheoirí, múinteoirí agus teireapoirí chun cabhrú leis an uirlis a fhorbairt agus a threorú. Baileofar sonraí go pearsanta agus ar líne chun a chinntiú go gcuirfear gach aois agus canúint san áireamh. Beimid ag féachaint chomh maith ar chumas na huirlise neamhoird fuaime urlabhra a aithint agus a dhiagnóisiú.

Cur síos ar Thaighde

Bheadh ​​Taighde Gníomhaíochta Rannpháirtíochta ag baint úsáid as modhanna measctha i gceist leis an taighde. Seo a leanas an clár taighde:

1. Athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar an litríocht ar fhorbairt fuaime urlabhra na Gaeilge agus ar na huirlisí píolótacha atá ann faoi láthair maidir le forbairt fuaime urlabhra na Gaeilge.
2. Liosta spriocfhocail agus pictiúir a fhorbairt, arna chomhdhearadh le páirtithe leasmhara. Cruthaigh leaganacha píolótacha den scagtháscaire DEAP, urlabhraíocht, fóineolaíocht agus neamh-chomhsheasmhacht chomh maith le haistriúchán ar an measúnú Oró-mhótair. Forbrófar foirmeacha cruachóipe agus leictreonacha araon den uirlis.
3. Déan píolótach ar an triail seo le sampla ionadaíoch de pháistí Gaeilge idir 3-7 mbliana d’aois thar na trí phríomhchanúintí chun aiseolas a fháil.
4. An tástáil a athbhreithniú agus a nuashonrú tar éis na treoirthréimhse
5. Bailigh eolas normalach leis an triail athbhreithnithe.
6. Scríobh na torthaí agus ullmhaigh an triail le foilsiú le húsáid ag teiripeoirí urlabhra agus teanga agus ag gairmithe eile atá cáilithe go cuí.
7. Úsáid an t-eolas a fuarthas le cuidiú le hacmhainní a fhorbairt le húsáid i teiripe (m.sh. péirí íosta, liostaí fóinéime)

Beidh an mac léinn PhD in ann leas a bhaint as clár oiliúna PhD Choláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh le réimse de chúrsaí oiliúna gairmiúla agus teicniúla á dtairiscint (féach: https://www.ucc.ie/en/med-health/gradstudies/postgraduateskillsdevelopment/ )

Príomhdhualgais agus Freagrachtaí

Déanfaidh an t-iarrthóir PhD clár sonraithe taighde faoi mhaoirseacht agus faoi stiúir phríomhscrúdaitheoir thionscadal UCC an Dr Ciara O’Toole agus a comh-mhaoirseoirí agus beidh sé/sí lonnaithe i Scoil na dTeiripí Cliniciúla i gColáiste na hOllscoile, Corcaigh.

 Maoiniú:

Tá an tionscadal maoinithe go hiomlán ag an gComhairle um Oideachas na Gaelscolaíochta agus na hOideachais (COGG) agus clúdóidh sé na nithe seo a leanas:

• €22,000 de liúntas mac léinn in aghaidh na bliana ar feadh ceithre bliana.
• €5,840 de tháillí teagaisc AE in aghaidh na bliana ar feadh ceithre bliana. Fáiltítear roimh iarratasóirí neamh-AE a chomhlíonann na critéir iarratas a dhéanamh ach d’fhéadfadh táillí breise a bheith i gceist.
• €3,250 de chostais taighde in aghaidh na bliana ar feadh 4 bliana

 Dáta Tosaigh: Eanáir 2026

Critéir Roghnúcháin

Riachtanach

• Íosmhéid 2H1 (dara honóracha, grád 1) céim onóracha, nó a chomhionann, i dTeiripe Urlabhra agus Teanga, Síceolaíocht, Teangeolaíocht (fheidhmeach), Geailge nó a leithéid
• Líofacht scríofa agus labhartha sa Ghaeilge, go hidéalach ag TEG B2 (nó a chomhionann) nó níos airde.
• Sárscileanna acadúla scríbhneoireachta sa Bhéarla.
• Scileanna maithe cumarsáide, eagrúcháin agus idirphearsanta.

 Inmhianaithe

• Cáilíocht iarchéime (m.sh. MSc/ MA) i ndisciplín gaolta
• Scileanna trascríobh agus anailíse fóinéiteacha
• Mioneolas ar shealbhú na Gaeilge i leanaí

Tabhair faoi deara, le do thoil, go bhféadfadh grinnscrúdú an Gharda Síochána agus seiceáil imréitigh beartais idirnáisiúnta a bheith mar chuid den phróiseas roghnúcháin.

Summary:

Applications are invited for a 4-year PhD scholarship that will develop and pilot an Irish-speech sound assessment for Irish-speaking bilingual children in Ireland. The PhD thesis will be publication-based.

Background and Objectives:

Irish-speaking children have statutory rights under the Official Languages Act (2002/ 2021) to access public services, including speech and language therapy through the medium of Irish. However, speech and language therapists (SLTs) have very few tools to work with to both assess and treat these children. This is in contrast to the many resources available to therapists in English. As most, if not all, Irish speaking children are bilingual, the lack of Irish resources can mean that they are only assessed and treated in English. This can often result in Irish language attrition and loss and takeover of the dominant English language.

One area where there are currently no tools available in Irish is in the area of speech sound development and disorders. Speech sound disorders mean that children have trouble saying certain sounds and words past an expected age, making it hard to understand what they say. Speech sound disorders include articulation disorders (difficulty making certain sounds) and phonological disorders (difficulty with sound patters). All speech sound disorders place children at higher risk of developing later reading and spelling difficulty. Therefore, speech sound disorders can affect both academic and social development.

The Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP; Dodd et al., 2002) is a speech sound assessment that is commonly used by SLTs in Ireland and currently has normative information available for Irish children who speak English. It is a useful tool as it detects and differentiates between different types of speech sound disorders such as articulation and phonology difficulties, and helps to plan correct forms of treatment. This PhD will develop and pilot an Irish version of the DEAP with Irish-speaking children aged 3-7. The project will include key stakeholders such as parents, teachers and SLTs to help develop and guide the tool. Data will be collected both in-person and remotely to ensure that all ages and dialects are included. We will also determine the tool’s ability to identify and diagnose speech sound disorders.

Description of Research:

The research programme is as follows:

1. Review the literature on Irish speech sound development and existing informal tools on Irish speech sound development.
2. Develop a list of target words and pictures, co-designed with stakeholders.
3. Create pilot versions of the DEAP screener, articulation, phonology and inconsistency  subtests as well as a translation of the Oro-motor assessment. Both hard-copy and electronic forms of the tool will be developed.
4. Pilot this test with a representative sample of Irish speaking children aged 3-7 across the three main dialects gaining feedback.
5. Determine the test’s ability to accurately identify and diagnose a subset of children with speech sound disorders.
6. Write up the results and prepare the test for publication for use by speech and language therapists and other suitably qualified professionals.
7. Use the knowledge gained to help develop resources for use in therapy (e.g. minimal pairs, phoneme lists) 

The PhD student will be able to take advantage of UCC’s PhD training programme with a range of professional and technical training courses offered (see: https://www.ucc.ie/en/med-health/gradstudies/postgraduateskillsdevelopment/)

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

The PhD candidate will conduct a specified programme of research under the supervision and direction of the UCC project PI Dr Ciara O’Toole and co-supervisors and will be based in UCC’s School of Clinical Therapies.

Funding:

The project has been fully funded by An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) and will cover the following:

• €22,000 student stipend per annum for four years.
• €5,840 EU tuition fees per year for four years. Non-EU applicants who meet the criteria are welcome to apply but may incur additional fees.
• €3,250 research expenses of per year for 4 years.

Start Date: January 2026

Eligibility  Criteria

Essential

• Minimum 2H1 (second class honours, grade 1) honours degree, or equivalent, Speech and Language Therapy, Psychology, (Applied)Linguistics, Irish or similar
• Written and spoken fluency in Irish, ideally at TEG B2 (or equivalent) or above.
• Excellent academic writing skills in the English language.
• Good communication, organisation and interpersonal skills.

Desirable

• Post-graduate qualification (e.g., MSc/ MA) in related discipline
• Phonetic transcription and analysis skills
• Detailed knowledge of Irish language acquisition in children.

Please note that Garda vetting and international policy clearance check may form part of the selection process