Irish Medium Education:

Irish Medium Education:

Cognitive skills and linguistic skills.Ivan KennedyEnlli ThomasGwyn Lewis

Outline Decline of Irish/Rise of English. Education in Ireland. Findings of recent research. Purpose of this research. Design of this research. Findings of this research. Conclusion.

Please note that these are preliminary results based on unfinished datasets.

Decline of Irish/Rise of English

Decline of Irish/Rise of English

2006, 1.7 million (41%) can speak Irish. 72,148 (1.8%) outside education daily. 22,515 (0.55%) in Gaeltacht.

English has become language of the land. First language in all regions except the

Gaeltacht.

Education in Ireland

In the Republic of Ireland (ROI), teaching Irish has been the foremost method in promoting societal bilingualism.

Irish has endured because of its inclusion in the school curriculum.

Intergenerational transmission in the homes and reproducing bilinguals who use Irish regularly has been a failure (Murtagh, 2003).

Education in Ireland Two types of education systems in ROI:

1—English medium education (EME) (ps=3033, pps=694)▪ Curriculum taught through English with Irish as a subject

2—Irish medium education (IME) (ps=139, pps=36)▪ Curriculum taught through Irish with English as a subject

▪ IME participation has risen 10% in the past 10 years and by 900% in the past 30 years (McWilliams, 2005).

▪ 5% of parents send their children to IME;▪ A further 23.4% would if IME was available▪ And a further 23.8% are undecided (Ó‘Riagáin, 2007).▪ Despite this no new IME school has gained recognition since 2008.

Findings of recent research

Linguistic skills Near native like comprehension and proficiency in second language at

no cost of first language (Ó’Laoire and Harris, 2006).

Metalinguistic skills Analytical skills develop earlier in BLs than MLs (Galambos and Goldin-

Meadow 1990).

Executive function Cognitive abilities that control and regulate other abilities and

behaviours. Includes attention, inhibition, memory, and switching. Develops earlier, sustains longer, declines later in BLs than MLs

(Bialystok, 2007).

Findings of recent research

Such advantages, Bilaystok (2007) claims, is due to the continual experience of controlling attention to the relevant language system in face of competition from the other language which is simultaneously active but irrelevant to the current task.

This system boosts both linguistic and non-linguistic control processes.

Purpose of this research

1—explore current attitudes towards the Irish language and IME in Ireland.

▪ Questionnaires—Exposure, SES, and attitudes.

▪2—examine the potential cognitive and linguistic benefits gained by 11/12Y.O. children from English-speaking backgrounds who receive IME.

▪ Compare children from IME in Republic and EME in Republic and Northern Ireland on their responses to several linguistic and cognitive tasks.

Design of this researchTasks

Background Questionna

ire and Ravens.

1. Background of family and language use.2. Parents’ and children’sattitudes of Irish.3. Raven’s Progressive Matrices.



ire and Ravens.

English Language Abilities.

1. Background of family and language use.

1. Neale’s Analysis of Reading.

2. Parents’ and children’sattitudes of Irish.

2. Writing. Creativity and explanatory.

3. Raven’s Progressive Matrices.

3. British Picture Vocabulary Scale.



ire and Ravens.


Irish Language Abilities.



1. Picture vocabulary test.



2. Cloze test.





ire and Ravens.



Metalinguistic skills.




1. Fluency Test.



2. Cloze test. 2.Error analysis.



Example Error Analysis

Examples Right Wrong Write the sentence correctly.

The girl is smart.

The dag barked. The dog barked

My cat barks.

I rided my bicycle on the treetops.

I rode my bicycle on the treetops.



ire and Ravens.




Executive Functions.




1. Fluency Test.

1.Flanker Task.




2. Stroop Task.



3. Sustained attention to response task.

Example Flanker Task

Example Stroop Task

Red

Name the word Name the colour

Name the colour NOT the word

Blue

XXXX

XXXX

Green

White

Example SART

Example SART

5

Example SART



ire and Ravens.




Executive Functions.




1. Fluency Test.

1.Flanker Task.




2. Stroop Task.



3. Sustained attention to response task.

Raven’s Progressive Matrices

Participants with percentile scores (a) at 95th and below 10th were excluded from all analyses because they were classed as “Intellectually superior” or “Definitely below average intellectual capacity” respectively (Standard Progressive Matrices, 1998, p.61) and (b) 90th because data was skewed in favour of IME.

Excluded N=50. (Below 10th percentile: IMS=10; EMS=6; and EMN=23. Above 90th percentile: IMS=9; EMS=1; and EMN=1.)

N=68; IMS=30; EMS=17; EMN=21

One way Analysis of Variance shows no significant difference, F(2, 67)=2.81, p=.07 between IMS (M=57.50,SD=14.90), EMS (M=47.06,SD=17.42), EMN (M=47.62,SD=20.77) on Raven’s test of non verbal intelligence.

Neale’s Analysis of Reading

Two way Mixed ANOVA was used. Within-subjects factor was Reading with 3 Levels (Accuracy; Comprehension; and Rate) and Between-subjects factor was School with 3 Levels (IMS; EMS; and EMN).

The main effect of Reading was significant F(2,124)=12.61, p<.05, partial η²=.17.

The Reading*School Interaction was significant F(4,124)=4.16, p<.05, partial η²=.12.

The main effect of School was not significant F(2,62)=8.37, p<.05, partial η²=.21.

Neale’s Analysis of Reading

Post Hoc tests shows there was a significant difference in Accuracy of reading between IMS(M=77.37,SD=15.01) and EMS(M=57.24,SD=23.69) and IMS(M=77.37,SD=15.01) and EMN(M=48.11,SD=21.20) but not in comprehension and rate.

This suggests that IME children’s L1 reading skills are not negatively effected by being educated in a L2.

Flanker Two way Mixed ANOVA was used. Within-subjects factor was

Same Colour Congruency with 2 Levels (Congruent and Incongruent) and Between-subjects factor was School with 3 Levels (IMS; EMS; and EMN).

The main effect of Congruency was significant F(1,64)=440.91, p<.05, partial η²=.87.

The Congruency*School Interaction was not significant F(2,64)=.36, p>.05, partial η²=.01.

The main effect of School was not significant F(2,64)=1.2, p=.31, partial η²=.04.

Further tests found no differences between schools based on separate analyses of congruency and incongruency.

Findings of this researchSkills Tasks Significant Differences

IMS(n=30) EMS (n=17) EMN (n=21)

Non-Verbal RRM ns ns ns

English Language

1.NARA•Accuracy•Comprehension•Rate

2.BPVS

F(2,64)=14.3nsns

ns

–nsns

ns

–nsns

ns

Significance level is p<.05. When compared to group and category marked –


IMS(n=30) EMS (n=17) EMN (n=21)

Meta-linguistic

Fluency •Clothes items•Starts with A/F/S•Animal starts A/F/S

E.A.Total Correct (24)

•GS(6)•gS(6)•Gs(6)•Gs(6)

F(2,65)=8.52nsns

F(2,66)=8.18

F(2,66)=4.28F(2,66)=15.2

3nsns

nsnsns

ns

ns–

nsns

–nsns

–

––

nsns



IMS(n=30) EMS (n=17) EMN (n=21)

Executive Function

Flanker (Alt colour)•Correct response•Correct Con’ MRT•Correct Incon’ MRT

Flanker (Same colour)•Correct response•Correct Con’ MRT•Correct Incon’ MRT

nsnsns

nsnsns

nsnsns

nsnsns

nsnsns

nsnsns



IMS(n=30) EMS (n=17) EMN (n=21)

Executive Function

Stroop (Trial 1+2/2- Trial 3)

SART•Correct Response•Response Time

ns

nsns

ns

nsns

ns

nsns


ConclusionsIn brief… Data suggests that children who attend IME gain

some of the benefits of bilingualism without any detriments to their L1.

Although more research needs to be conducted in this area, the information could be used to help Parents make an informed decision when choosing a

school for their children and Inform policy planning for the future preservation of Irish

transmission at school.Thank you/Go raibh míle maith agaibh!

References Bialystok, E (2007). Cognitive Effects of Bilingualism: How Linguistic Experience Leads to Cognitive Change.

York University.

Central Statistics Office (2008). 2006 Census of Ireland. [On line data.] Retrieved 26th November, 2008 from the worldwide web: http://beyond2020.cso.ie/Census/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=10381

Gaelscoileanna (2010). Parents to press ahead with Gaelscoil in Ratoath despite Department’s ‘no’. http://www.gaelscoileanna.ie/en/news/media/parents-to-press-ahead-with-gaelscoil-in-ratoath-despite- departments-noparents-to-press-ahead-with-gaelscoil-in-ratoath-despite-departments-no/

Gambos, S.J. & Goldin, S. (1990). The effects of learning two languages on metalinguistic awareness. Cognition, 34, 1-56.

Harris, J., (2007). Bilingual education and bilingualism in Ireland North and South. The International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 10 (4): 359-368.

Murtagh, L., (2003). Retention and Attrition of Irish as a Second Language. PhD thesis: Univeristy of Groningen.

Ó’hUiginn, R,. (2008). The Irish Language. In Nic Pháidín, C., and Ó’Cearnaigh, S., (2008). A New View of the Irish Language. Cois Life Teoranta: Dublin.

Ó Laoire, M & Harris, J. (2006). Language and Literacy in Irish-medium Primary Schools: Review of Literature. National Council for Curriculum and Assessment . An Chomhairle Náisúnta Cuaclaim agus

Measúnachta.

Raven J, Raven J.C., & Court, J.H. (1998). Standard Progressive Matrices Manual, 1998 ed. Oxford, UK: Oxford Psychologists Press Ltd.

http://beyond2020.cso.ie/Census/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=10381

http://www.gaelscoileanna.ie/en/news/media/parents-to-press-ahead-with-gaelscoil-in-ratoath-despite-departments-noparents-to-press-ahead-with-gaelscoil-in-ratoath-despite-departments-no/








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