Minority language immersion education for multilingual learners: perspectives and inclusive practices of principals and teachers

Irish-medium (IM) education has forged itself as a desirable type of education which many Irish parents would like to choose for their children. Over the last number of decades, linguistic and cultural diversity has increased in the Republic of Ireland (RoI), yet the number of children enrolled in IM primary schools who speak home languages other than English or Irish, is still very small. This study investigated the perspectives and experiences of IM primary school principals and teachers when educating multilingual learners in their school. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with principals (n = 5) and teachers (n = 8) from five IM schools. This article reports on the positive attitudes that teachers and principals held towards multilingual learners in IM education and the inclusive approaches implemented in the schools. Nevertheless, the absence of policy guidance around the inclusion of multilingual learners in a minority language education context posed a challenge for teachers and principals. It is clear from the findings of the study, that more consideration needs to be given to professional development for teachers and principals. Further policy guidance on inclusion, and access to appropriate resources and assessments to support the inclusion of multilingual learners in immersion education is also required.