Report on Gaelscoileanna
February 7, 2012
Children attending Gaelscoileanna are more likely to read for pleasure and participate in cultural activities than children who attend English-medium schools.
That is according to the latest Growing Up in Ireland survey from the Economic and Social Research Institute and Trinity College.
The report’s findings, published by the ESRI on 26th January, are based on a nationwide survey carried out to assess the educational and recreational activities of nine-year-old children.
According to the report, children who attend Gaelscoileanna are the most likely to participate in cultural after-school activities as opposed to focusing on sport alone or watching television. Nine-year-olds who attend Gaelscoileanna, particularly girls, were also found to have a more positive attitude to reading and tend to read for pleasure more frequently than children in English-medium and Gaeltacht schools.
Gaelscoileanna were found to provide a broader curriculum than English-medium and Gaeltacht schools, with more time spent on subjects such as Drama, Music and PE. The report went on to explain that these subjects are used as a method of teaching the language.
Children in Gaelscoileanna were also found to be more positive about the Irish language with 45% of those surveyed saying that they ‘always’ like Irish. The results in Gaeltacht schools were similar with almost 40% of children saying they ‘always’ like Irish. However, only 20% of children attending English-medium schools said they ‘always’ like Irish with 30% saying they ‘never ‘ liked Irish.
GAELPORT
