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Documentary evidence
Clearly there are a range of influences affecting teacher perceptions. The curriculum is
influenced by a number of agencies ranging from the government and examination boards as
well resources such as textbooks, websites and projects and visits to museums for example.
The literature review has made reference to the impact of government and examination boards
and textbooks. During the early stages of this project the intention was to undertake a contents
analysis of both examination board documentation and textbooks. Haydn, Arthur and Hunt
(2003) claim that textbooks are the main resource used by teachers. Their case is based on an
Ofsted survey of 1994 which pre-dates the expansion of web based resources. However, Issitt
(2004) persuasively argues that textbooks provide a basis for teachers’ work, which ensures
that they provide a good indication of what is taught. However, the focus of the current study
restricted opportunities to provide a detailed investigation of resources. However, resources
used or produced by interviewees, including textbooks and project resources will be analysed
where appropriate.
Hence, it can be seen that this research is underpinned by the belief that an Irish dimension
should be part of teaching for diversity within a multicultural curriculum. However, it does
not assume that questionnaire respondents and interviewees will support this premise. It is
possible that by eliciting specific responses and building them up into categories it may be
possible to explore different reasons for developing an Irish dimension. The next stage of this
chapter will consider the extent to which the above plans and contingencies operated in
practice.