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

ETBI Journal of Education November 2020
differences are not particularly significant when
taking into account that IMS students tend to
have a higher socio-economic status on average.
As for national DEIS assessments, results show
that progress has been made in DEIS schools
nationwide in average literacy and numeracy
scores from 2010 to 2016, but there is still a
significant gap between the average national
score and the national DEIS score. On that basis,
this study raises the question, where do DEIS IMS
stand in terms of achievement?
THE LITERATURE
Concern is often expressed in international
literature about the educational
underachievement of students from low socioeconomic
backgrounds (Demie & Lewis, 2011;
Hoff, 2003, 2006; Sirin, 2005) and the effect of
the disadvantaged background on the learning of
the student (Chiu & McBride Chang, 2006; OECD,
2010) and on the language development of the
child (Molloy et al., 2016: 214). Certain studies
suggest, for example, that the rate of vocabulary
development is slower in children from
disadvantaged backgrounds in the preschool
period and that they will have a lower level of
attainment as they get older (Hart & Risley, 2003;
Peers et al., 2000; Walker et al., 1994).
Studies also discuss students who may be at risk
in the immersion education system due to low
ability in their first language (Genesee, 2004,
2007; Genesee & Fortune, 2014), which may be
related to socio-economic status. However, Bruck
(1982) displayed that students who had language
difficulties and who attended the immersion
education system were just as successful as
their peers in the L1 education system, but that
they also attained a higher ability in the second
language at the same time. As for the socioeconomic
status of students, other studies have
discovered that students from disadvantaged
backgrounds in the immersion education system
were at the same level of L1 development as
students from the same backgrounds who were
not attending the immersion education system
(Bruck et al., 2015).
METHODOLOGY
Students from 3rd class and 6th class from 13
DEIS IMS took part in the research. Standardised
tests in English Reading (Drumcondra Sentence
Reading Test) and in Mathematics were organised
in each school in May 2017. The same tests were
used as in the National DEIS Assessment (Weir
& Denner, 2013; Kavanagh, Weir & Moran, 2017)
so that a comparison could be made between the
test scores in the current study and the national
DEIS scores in order to assess any differences in
achievements.
PRIMARY RESEARCH RESULTS
Reading Attainment in English
In Band 2 DEIS IMS schools, 3rd class and 6th
class demonstrated a higher average score than
the national DEIS score, although the difference
was only significant at third class level. In Band
1, the average score in third class DEIS IMS was
somewhat lower than the national DEIS score,
however by the end of the primary school cycle
students in DEIS IMS were achieving much higher
scores than DEIS schools nationally. The weaker
results in 3rd class, which then rise by 6th
class, could be explained by a temporary delay
in the bilingual system, which dissipates over
time when students begin reading in their first
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