The benefits of bilingualism.
According to new research, students in disadvantaged schools that learn through the Irish language actually do better academically in English reading than their peers in other disadvantaged schools.
The study, carried out by Mary Immaculate College (MIC), DCU Institute of Education and the Educational Research Centre (ERC), looked at 13 Irish-medium DEIS schools, mainly situated in Cork, Limerick, Galway, Dublin and Waterford.
The researchers looked at the results of third and sixth class students in these schools in national assessments, with their scores compared to those attending schools in areas of disadvantage nationally.
Out of the 13 schools, six were categorised as DEIS Band 1 schools, where the level of disadvantage is considered higher, while seven schools were classed as Band 2.
And what they found, was that by the end of primary school, students in Irish-medium DEIS Band 1 schools were doing “significantly better” at reading than their peers in non-Irish-medium DEIS schools, although the performance of third class students in these schools was significantly lower than the national average.
On the flip side, the DEIS student did perform slightly lower than their peers when it comes to maths, which, according to the researchers, may highlight the need for additional supports to help with learning maths through Irish.
“Results in mathematic achievements provide valuable insights into the challenges faced by Irish medium DEIS schools and the critical need for additional language and learning supports in these schools to support accessing maths through Irish,” said Dr Karen Ní Chlochasaigh, of MIC.
The results also suggest that over time, immersion education in a DEIS school does not impact negatively on the reading attainment of students, which shows the benefits of bilingualism.
