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Dr Stephen Quirke

BSc

Contact Details

Lecturer - Contract Type B
School of Education
University of Galway
E: Stephen.Quirke@universityofgalway.ie
 
researcher
 

Biography

Dr. Stephen Quirke is a lecturer in mathematics education at the University of Galway. He began his career as a secondary school mathematics teacher, an experience that continues to inform his research and teaching. Before joining the University of Galway, he served as a lecturer in primary mathematics education at Dublin City University, supporting the development of pre-service teachers. Dr. Quirke's research explores out-of-field teaching, teacher identity, professional development, and mathematics curriculum reform. His doctoral work focused on the learning and classroom practices of out-of-field mathematics teachers and has been published in a leading international journal. He is involved in national and international collaborations, contributing to conferences and publications that address critical challenges in mathematics education.He leads the Teacher Upskilling Programmes Study and MathsMinds: Inspiring STEM Futures, initiatives aimed at improving mathematics teaching and inspiring future engagement with STEM subjects. Dr. Quirke is also a member of the reference group for the SCOPE-T Project, which seeks to address teacher shortages through innovative professional education approaches.Dr. Quirke is committed to supporting teachers and contributing to practical improvements in mathematics education.

Research Interests

Dr. Stephen Quirke's research focuses on advancing mathematics education, with particular expertise in out-of-field teaching, teacher identity, professional development, and curriculum reform. His doctoral research investigated the learning and classroom practices of out-of-field mathematics teachers, with findings published in a leading international journal. As Principal Investigator of the Teacher Upskilling Programmes Study, Dr. Quirke examines the impact of professional learning initiatives on improving mathematics teaching competencies. He also leads MathsMinds: Inspiring STEM Futures, a program designed to foster engagement with mathematics and STEM subjects among students. Dr. Quirke collaborates with national and international partners to address critical challenges in mathematics education. He is a member of the reference group for the SCOPE-T Project (Shifting the Culture of Out-of-field Professional Education for Teachers), funded by the Australian Research Council, which models innovative approaches to teacher education and addresses long-term teacher shortages. His work reflects a strong commitment to improving teacher preparation, supporting curriculum innovation, and empowering educators to excel in diverse and evolving educational contexts.

Research Projects

  Project Start Date End Date
The Teacher Upskilling Progammes Study
Initial Teacher Education: Knowledge and Attitudes in Mathematics

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2024) 'First- and third-person mathematics-related teacher identity: capturing the learning pathway of an out-of-field teacher of mathematics acquiring mathematics teacher certification'
Quirke, S; O Meara, N.; Goos, M; Conway, P (2024) 'First- and third-person mathematics-related teacher identity: capturing the learning pathway of an out-of-field teacher of mathematics acquiring mathematics teacher certification'. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, [Details]

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
(2023) 'Teacher Professional Identity and Curriculum Reform'
Quirke, S., Espinoza, L., Sensevy, G. (2023) 'Teacher Professional Identity and Curriculum Reform' In: Mathematics Curriculum Reforms Around the World. New ICMI Study Series. Cham: Springer. [Details]
(2022) 'Eliminating the fear of getting `caught out¿: An examination of the development of out-of-field mathematics teachers¿ professional self-understanding'
M Ní Ríordáin, M Goos, F Faulkner, S Quirke, C Lane, N O'Meara (2022) 'Eliminating the fear of getting `caught out¿: An examination of the development of out-of-field mathematics teachers¿ professional self-understanding' In: Out-of-field teaching across teaching disciplines and contexts. Singapore: Springer. [Details]
(2019) 'Developing professional knowledge and identities of non-specialist teachers of mathematics'
M Goos, A Bennison, S Quirke, N O Meara, C Vale (2019) 'Developing professional knowledge and identities of non-specialist teachers of mathematics' In: International Handbook of Mathematics Teacher Education: Volume 1. Leiden: Brill | Sense. [Details]

Conference Publications

  Year Publication
(2024) ICME-15
S Quirke (2024) First-person Mathematics-related Teacher Identity/Ies: Capturing the Learning Trajectory of an Out-of-field Teacher Of Mathematics ICME-15 [Details]
(2023) MEI 9
S Quirke and M Goos (2023) Addressing (inadequate) mathematics teacher supply and teacher (mis)assignment: considering Ireland¿s past, present and future. Proceedings of the 9th Conference on Research in Mathematics Education in Ireland MEI 9 [Details]
(2022) 9th CASTeL STEM Education Research Conference
S Quirke (2022) eaching mathematics out-of-field and the journey to obtaining mathematics teacher certification 9th CASTeL STEM Education Research Conference [Details]

Conference Contributions

  Year Publication
(2023) Ninth Conference on Research in Mathematics Education in Ireland,
Stephen Quirke (2023) National mathematical mathematics education conference for Ireland, with both national and international contributions. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], Ninth Conference on Research in Mathematics Education in Ireland, Dublin City University , 13-OCT-23 - 14-OCT-23. [Details]
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Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2016 European Educational Research Association Bursary EERA
2015 Postgraduate Research Scholarship Irish Research Council

Reviews

  Journal Role
Frontiers in Education Editor
Educational Studies in Mathematics Reviewer

Other Activities

  Description

Project Reference Group (https://www.scope-t.org/reference-group) member for the Shifting the Culture of Out-of-field Professional Education for Teachers¿ (SCOPE-T) project. This project, funded by the Australian Research Council for 2024-2026 [$287,119], aims to model an education system that would diversify the expertise of teachers as part of attending to long-term teacher shortage.

Modules Taught

  Term/Year Module Title Module Code Subject / Desc
2024/25 Practical Teaching Programme 3 ED3002
2024/25 Principles of second level mathematics ED109

External Collaborators

  Name Organisation / Institute Country Description of Collaboration
Prof Linda Hobbs Deakin University AUSTRALIA
Prof Merrilyn Goos University of the Sunshine Coast AUSTRALIA