A Third Language at Primary Level in Ireland: An Independent Evaluation of the Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative

JOHN HARRIS and DENISE O'LEARY

Introducing modern languages at primary level in Ireland involves challenges and possibilities which differ from those of some other countries. Irish, a minority language is the first official language. All but a small proportion of pupils speak English at home but begin to learn Irish as a second language as soon as they begin school. Learning a modern foreign language at primary level is, therefore, an entirely new experience of diversity for most Irish pupils.

The Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative in Ireland began in 1998 with 270 schools and now has almost 400 (about 12% of primary schools). Pupils in the final two years in elementary school receive 1.5 hours of tuition within the normal school day in one of four languages: French, German, Spanish or Italian. Within the Initiative, there is also an emphasis on language diversity of a slightly different kind in that those European languages that traditionally were less commonly taught in Ireland (Spanish and Italian) are especially promoted. This chapter describes the experience of modern languages at primary level for pupils, parents and teachers. It draws on findings from Phases 1 (Harris & Conway, 2002) and Phase 2 (Harris & O'Leary, 2007) of an independent evaluation of the Project.

The Language Situation in Ireland

The early teaching of modern languages in Ireland takes place in a sociolinguistic context which differs in a number of respects from that obtaining in many other countries in Europe (Harris, 2007). Irish, an indigenous minority language, is also the first official language of the country. It has been taught to virtually all primary-school pupils since the foundation of the state about 85 years ago. In the vast majority of cases, it is taught as a second language to pupils whose home language is English – as a single school subject in 'ordinary' mainstream schools. It is also taught in immersion ('all-Irish') schools in the main English-speaking area. While these immersion schools are still relatively small in number, they have grown significantly over the last 20 years. Irish is also taught, of course, in the relatively small Gaeltacht heartland areas, mainly along the western seaboard. The teaching of Irish in these different contexts is central to the larger national goal of revitalising Irish as a general means of communication.

Parents and the public generally are in favour of the teaching of Irish. Harris et al. (2006), for example, report that 67.4% of the parents of pupils in ordinary mainstream primary schools are 'favourable' or 'very favourable' to Irish being taught at this level. Only 14.5% feel that less time should be spent on the language.

But parents in Ireland are in general also anxious that their children would learn other modern European languages. As part of a national consultation process called 'Your Education System', a representative sample (n = 1511) of the population aged 15+ years was surveyed in order to establish views nationally on a number of education issues (Kellaghan et al., 2004). Two key findings emerged in relation to foreign languages in primary school:

• 57.1% of respondents felt that 'too little emphasis' was placed on teaching foreign languages in primary schools (Kellaghan et al., 2004: 6, 26).

• 78.7% considered the teaching of a continental language in primary school to be 'very important/important' in achieving the objectives of schooling (Kellaghan et al., 2004: 35).

These percentages are notable given that statistics from 30 European countries show that Ireland is the only one where foreign-language learning at primary level is neither compulsory nor a core curriculum option (Eurydice, 2005: 24). The Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC, 2004) identified a number of key priorities for the Irish education system, one of which was the development of a national coordinated system to make modern languages a compulsory subject in primary school. In addition, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) in its report Languages and Enterprise (EGFSN, 2005) called for the extension of the Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative to all primary schools nationwide and its full integration into the mainstream curriculum.

Yet another significant feature of the language situation in Ireland in recent years is the relatively sudden appearance of the languages of the 'New Irish' immigrant communities, such as Polish, Russian and Chinese. Until now, Ireland has not seen any immigration comparable to that experienced elsewhere in western Europe. The scale of this in-migration, largely as a result of the buoyant economy, is indicated by the fact that the population of non-nationals in Ireland grew from 7% to 10% between 2002 and 2006. By comparison, the non-national population of the UK grew by only two percentage points between 1960 and 1990 (Barrett & McCarthy, 2006).

The Modern Language Initiative and the Evaluation

In 1998, the national Pilot Project on the Teaching of Modern Languages...