Biography
Dr. Diarmuid Lester is a Lecturer in Physical Education, Health and Wellbeing in the School of Education in University College Cork (UCC), primarily working on the B.Ed. Physical Education, Sports Studies and Arts (PESSA) programme (formerly the B.Ed. Sports Studies and Physical Education (SSPE) programme). Having taught Physical Education and Gaeilge at post-primary level for several years, Diarmuid joined the School of Education in a permanent capacity in January 2022.
Dr. Lester is an alumnus of UCC, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, having completed a B.Ed. Sports Studies and Physical Education degree in 2015, graduating with first class honours, and subsequently awarded a Ph.D. from the School of Education in 2020. His Ph.D. tracked the design, development, implementation and evaluation of Project FLAME (Fundamental and Functional Literacy for Activity and Movement Efficiency): a multi-component, school-based, motor competence intervention for adolescent youth in Ireland. Diarmuid delivers a range of modules across the B.Ed. and M.Ed. programmes in the School of Education, as well as supervising Masters and Ph.D. students.
Dr. Lester is an alumnus of UCC, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, having completed a B.Ed. Sports Studies and Physical Education degree in 2015, graduating with first class honours, and subsequently awarded a Ph.D. from the School of Education in 2020. His Ph.D. tracked the design, development, implementation and evaluation of Project FLAME (Fundamental and Functional Literacy for Activity and Movement Efficiency): a multi-component, school-based, motor competence intervention for adolescent youth in Ireland. Diarmuid delivers a range of modules across the B.Ed. and M.Ed. programmes in the School of Education, as well as supervising Masters and Ph.D. students.
Publications
Peer Reviewed Journals
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2023) | 'Motor Competence Among Irish Adolescents: An Investigation of Sex Differences and Relatedness Between Fundamental Movement Skills and Functional Movement' Philpott, C., Donovan, B., Belton, S., Lester, D., Chambers, F.C. & O'Brien, W. (2023) 'Motor Competence Among Irish Adolescents: An Investigation of Sex Differences and Relatedness Between Fundamental Movement Skills and Functional Movement'. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 130 (1):27-53 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2023) | 'What keeps FLAME lit? Comparing two modes of implementation of a physical education-based intervention to improve motor competence among Irish adolescents' Ma J.;O’Brien W.;Lester D.;Eyre E.L.J.;Lander N.;Koorts H.;Barnett L.M.;Duncan M. (2023) 'What keeps FLAME lit? Comparing two modes of implementation of a physical education-based intervention to improve motor competence among Irish adolescents'. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2023) | 'A Scoping Review on Quality Physical Education Programmes and Their Outcomes on Primary-Level Pupils' Kingston, Ú.; Adamakis, M.; Lester, D.;Costa, J. (2023) 'A Scoping Review on Quality Physical Education Programmes and Their Outcomes on Primary-Level Pupils'. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20 (4) [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2022) | 'Motor competence assessment in physical education–convergent validity between fundamental movement skills and functional movement assessments in adolescence' O’Brien W.;Philpott C.;Lester D.;Belton S.;Duncan M.J.;Donovan B.;Chambers F.;Utesch T. (2022) 'Motor competence assessment in physical education–convergent validity between fundamental movement skills and functional movement assessments in adolescence'. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2021) | 'Effects of an 8-Week Intervention Targeting the Veridicality of Actual and Perceived Motor Competence Among Irish Adolescents in Project FLAME' Philpott, C;Utesch, T;Belton, S;Donovan, B;Chambers, F;Lester, D;O'Brien, W (2021) 'Effects of an 8-Week Intervention Targeting the Veridicality of Actual and Perceived Motor Competence Among Irish Adolescents in Project FLAME'. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 128 :2186-2210 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2020) | 'Investigating the age-related association between perceived motor competence and actual motor competence in adolescence' Philpott C.;Donovan B.;Belton S.;Lester D.;Duncan M.;Chambers F.;O’brien W. (2020) 'Investigating the age-related association between perceived motor competence and actual motor competence in adolescence'. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17 (17):1-18 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2018) | 'Do Irish Adolescents Have Adequate Functional Movement Skill and Confidence?' O'Brien, Wesley; Duncan, Michael J.; Farmer, Orlagh; Lester, Diarmuid (2018) 'Do Irish Adolescents Have Adequate Functional Movement Skill and Confidence?'. Journal of Motor Learning and Development, 6 (s2):s301-s319 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] | |
| (2018) | 'Enhancing the evidence base for irish female youth participation in physical activity—the development of the Gaelic4Girls program' Farmer O.;Duffy D.;Cahill K.;Lester D.;Belton S.;O’Brien W. (2018) 'Enhancing the evidence base for irish female youth participation in physical activity—the development of the Gaelic4Girls program'. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 26 (2):111-123 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2017) | 'The Age-Related Association of Movement in Irish Adolescent Youth' Lester, Diarmuid., McGrane, Bronagh., Belton, Sarahjane., Duncan, Michael J., Chambers, Fiona C., O'Brien, Wesley (2017) 'The Age-Related Association of Movement in Irish Adolescent Youth'. Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 5 (77):1-16 [DOI] [Details] |
Professional Activities
Professional Associations
| Association | Function | From / To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teaching Council of Ireland | Registered Member | / | |
| Irish Physical Activity Research Collaboration (I-PARC) | Member | / | |
| Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) Ireland | Member | / | |
| United Kingdom and Ireland Motor Competence Network | Member | / | |
| Physical Education, Physical Activity and Youth Sport (PEPAYS) Ireland Research Centre | Member | / | |
| Physical Education Association of Ireland (PEAI) | Registered Member | / | |
| Sedentary Behaviour Research Network (SBRN) | Registered Member | / |
Committees
| Committee | Function | From / To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| School of Education Research and Innovation Committee | Member | 2022 / | |
| Cork GAA Health and Wellbeing Committee | Member | 2021 / |
Languages
| Language | Reading | Writing | Speaking | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaeilge | Fluent | Fluent | Fluent | |
| English | Fluent | Fluent | Fluent |
Teaching Activities
Recent Postgraduates
| Graduation Year | Student Name | Institution | Degree Type | Thesis Title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Ruth Crean | University College Cork | M.Ed. | To investigate wellbeing in a post-primary school from the perspectives of management, teachers, parents and students | |
| 2023 | Miriam Farrell | University College Cork | M.Ed. | A critical investigation into the relationship between physical activity and academic achievement |
Contact details
- Diarmuid Lester
Lecturer in Physical Education, Health and Wellbeing - dlester@ucc.ie
- 1&2 Lucan Place
Western Road
University College Cork
T12 KX72 - +353-21-490-2275