Student Experiences of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis study was funded by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). Wewould like to thank Anne Looney, John Hammond and Majella O’Shea for their help andsupport throughout this project.We are very grateful to Philip O’Connell, Head of the Social Research Division at the Economicand Social Research Institute (ESRI) for his unfailing support and guidance. Many thanks are dueto two ESRI reviewers Stephanie Haller and Merike Darmody for their valuable input andcomments.As always, our research would not be possible without the help and generosity of students. Weare particularly grateful to the 29 young people who gave up their time to participate in interviewsabout their experiences in the LCA. We hope that the study in some measure reflects their input.IV