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Clearly, these views may not be typical of the views of most respondents but they raise a
number of issues. The first four responses certainly relate to research which suggests that
primary teachers have taken QCA schemes to be prescribed syllabi (Bracey 2001). This
suggests that an evaluation opportunity to develop an Irish dimension with the schemes is
appropriate. The last response indicates that there are issues with respect to available
resources and/or possible awareness of curriculum projects related to an Irish dimension.
What ‘fuzzy generalisations’ emerge from comparing the five case studies?
The scale and nature of the case studies means that the conclusions drawn from them must be
related to the context in which they were located. At the same time there could still be a
difference between what teachers said they did and what actually took place in their
classrooms. Nevertheless, the diversity of contexts and the comparison made between them
hopefully provides a reasonable basis for making a series of ‘fuzzy generalisations’. The data
from the case studies suggest that an Irish dimension has some importance at Key Stage 3,
although this varies between areas of study. It is significant in some School History Project
Modern World Studies, and in some cases forms part of AS/A2 work. However, the case
studies suggest that its importance is limited in most of the primary schools. However, in both
sectors there are some respondents who regard it as important.
The questionnaires provided some insights as to why respondents developed an Irish
dimension. It will be particularly interesting to develop this more fully and explore whether
particular teachers relate it to pragmatic considerations or values such as anti-racism. Only a
limited number of respondents regarded an Irish dimension as important and it appears to
have had a higher profile with secondary respondents. However, in both primary and