ETBI Journal of Education - Vol 2:2 November 2020 (Irish-medium Education)

ETBI Journal of Education November 2020
Students with Special Education Needs
Learning through Irish
Dr Sinéad Nic Aindriú, Professor Pádraig Ó Duibhir, Dr Joe Travers
Institute of Education, Dublin City University
OUTLINE
Little research has been conducted on the benefits
of immersion education for students with special
educational needs (SEN). Limited international
research suggests that these students can achieve
academic attainments that are comparable to
their peers with SEN who attend schools using
the majority language of the community as their
language of instruction. This article describes the
perceived benefits associated with Irish-medium
education for students with SEN based on data
collected from interviews conducted with parents,
teachers and principals from Irish-medium
schools in the Republic of Ireland and Northern
Ireland (N=34). Recommendations are also made
in terms of how Irish-medium schools can meet
the assessment and language development needs
of students with SEN learning through Irish as a
second language.
INTRODUCTION
Parents often worry that they have made the
correct choice by choosing Irish-medium
education for their children with special
educational needs (SEN) (Andrews, 2020). These
parents are often advised against bilingualism
and/or immersion education for their children
(Andrews, 2020). This same advice is also given
internationally by education professionals,
IT IS REPORTED THAT IRISH-
MEDIUM SCHOOLS CREATE A
POSITIVE, INCLUSIVE LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT AND THAT
STUDENTS HAVE A HIGH LEVEL
OF SELF-RESPECT AND SELF-
CONFIDENCE AS A RESULT.
with regards to the suitability of bilingualism/
immersion education for children with SEN
(Hampton et al., 2017). The rationale given
by these educational professionals, such as,
educational psychologists or speech and language
therapists, is that the second language (L2)
might be a source of confusion for the child, it
might affect their first language development,
or place an added burden on them. Research
shows that around 9.4% of students who attend
Irish-medium primary schools in the Republic
of Ireland have been diagnosed as having a SEN
(Nic Aindriú, Ó Duibhir, Travers, 2020). Out
of these diagnoses, dyslexia, autism spectrum
disorder, dyspraxia, emotional and/or behavioral
difficulties and specific speech and language
disorders are the five categories of SEN most
frequently reported.
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