New School, New System: The Experiences of Immigrant Students in Irish Schools

Abstract

Since the exceptional economic growth of the last decade, Ireland has been transformed from a country of emigration to one of immigration, with a marked increase in the numbers of immigrant school-age children and young people. This chapter draws on data collected for a pioneering mixed methods study on school provision for immigrant students in Ireland, comprising both primary and secondary school sectors. It uses cultural transmission theory as a framework for examining the nature of interaction between immigrant students and Irish students and teachers. Immigrant students are found to occupy an ambiguous position: On the one hand, they are ‘outsiders’ with little familiarity of the nature of the Irish school system, while on the other hand, the highly educated profile of immigrant families means that they often possess the kinds of cultural capital valued by the school system.