Welcome to the Celtic Tiger? Teacher Responses to Immigration and Increasing Ethnic Diversity in Irish Schools

adminLeave a Comment

Much of the research in the area of ethnicity and schooling is conducted in countries with a long tradition of immigration. The rapidity of social change in Ireland at a time of unprecedented economic growth is such that many schools, while still ‘mainly white’, are grappling with the particular challenges that are posed by new patterns of immigration. How these schools, and indeed the state, adapts to this changed social context has important implications for the transition of Irish society to a more multicultural state, which values and respects cultural and ethnic diversity in all its forms. This article considers these issues by exploring the responses of a sample of teachers to immigrant students in their schools. Central to the analysis is the role of the state through its action or inaction, in framing teacher discourses in inclusionary or exclusionary terms. State policies, it is argued, are underpinned by a particular conceptualisation of Irish and national identity which positions minority ethnic groups as ‘other’, with direct implications for both teacher perception and practice with immigrant students in schools. 

Source: International Studies in Sociology of Education Volume 15, Issue 1, 2005 

International Studies in Sociology of Education Volume 15, Issue 1, 200International Studies in Sociology of Education Volume 15, Issue 1, 2005

Author(s):Dympna Devine
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Online
Publication Date:19 Dec 2006
Geographic Focus:Ireland
URL:http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09620210500200131#.UZORp7WG1i4
Go Back

Leave a Reply