Students’ Experiences of the Teaching and Learning of Irish in Designated Disadvantaged Schools

Katriona O’Sullivan,Gareth Burns,Niamh Bird

doi:10.11648/j.ijecs.20190405.13

Abstract

Irish policy is increasingly focused on addressing the lack of teacher diversity. However, persistent challenges remain around the high standard of Irish required to enter primary level Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and the quality of Irish language teaching in schools that are designated disadvantaged in Ireland. This research aims to explore the relationship between these variables. Students from groups currently underrepresented in ITE and who are participating in a Foundation Course for Initial Teacher Education (FCITE) described their experiences of learning Irish in schools that are designated as disadvantaged, and then their journey through Irish language learning on the FCITE. Participants described largely negative experiences of learning Irish in school which contrasted with positive experiences of learning Irish while on the FCITE. Participants believed the communities they came from, and schools they attended, influenced the quality of teaching received; while teacher expectations of their language capabilities, and consequently their language proficiency impacted upon their Irish language learning. The findings indicate that specific measures should be put in place along the continuum of teacher education to ensure that there is an emphasis placed on not only improving the quality of Irish language teaching in schools located in communities experiencing social and economic inequality, but the parallel need to develop a model of social and political criticality amongst student and practicing teachers that addresses the problematic assumptions observed in this research about students’ language learning capabilities.

Highlights

The student teacher population in Ireland lacks diversity, it tends to be overwhelmingly white, female, settled, Catholic and middle-class [5]
This study focuses on the Irish language learning experiences of students who come from communities experiencing social and economic disadvantage, discussing the impact that Irish language provision and Irish language learning experience across the Irish education system can have on diversifying teaching in Ireland
Data were collected in March of 2019 through an online questionnaire circulated to students who had been accepted onto Maynooth University’s Think About Teaching programme, a Foundation course for initial teacher education (FCITE) for students from groups identified as underrepresented in Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

Summary

Introduction

The student teacher population in Ireland lacks diversity, it tends to be overwhelmingly white, female, settled, Catholic and middle-class [5]. In response to strong national and international evidence base that highlights the benefits and desirability of a more diverse and representative teaching body [6, 7], the Irish government have invested in the Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH). This investment has asked universities across the island of Ireland to develop programmes which support diverse students to enter Initial Teacher Education (ITE). Young people from higher socio-economic classes demonstrate more positive attitudes towards the Irish language than less advantaged groups [1, 2]; and for communities experiencing social and economic disadvantage, the learning of Irish is often bound up with negative memories of schooling [3]

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Discussion

Conclusion