Students with Early Irish Literacy Difficulties in Gaeltacht Primary Schools

Identification and Early Intervention Practices

Abstract

Research suggests that children who struggle to read in immersion education settings do as well academically as their peers attending monolingual schools. However, the literature also concludes that there are challenges facing immersion schools when meeting the needs of their students, in areas such as the child's home language, appropriate teaching resources, and minority language assessments. To date, little research has been conducted on early Irish literacy interventions in Gaeltacht primary schools. This study used a mixed methods approach, surveying 105 schools and interviewing four special education teachers regarding their practices in this area. It contributes to the limited research available by exploring the strategies used in Gaeltacht schools to identify students with early Irish literacy difficulties and provide additional teaching support to these students, since the implementation of the Gaeltacht Education Policy. It also investigates the challenges faced by schools when undertaking these interventions. An overview is provided of the resources required in this area to enable schools and teachers to better meet the educational needs of all their students.