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The factors which influence completion and non-completion in Irish-medium post-primary education from the student perspective

Kavanagh, Ciarán (2023) The factors which influence completion and non-completion in Irish-medium post-primary education from the student perspective. PhD thesis, Dublin City University.

Abstract
The provision of immersion education and the sustained growth of Irish-medium education (IME) is a key developmental strategy of the Department of Education (DOE), which commits to “extend Irish-medium provision” as a national strategic action (Department of Education, 2021, p. 19). While anecdotal evidence suggests that attrition is an area of concern in immersion education contexts internationally (Mac Cárthaigh, 2019), there remains a lack of research studies on attrition and retention models which investigate this issue in post-primary IME in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). The researcher sought to address this dearth of information by collecting and analysing the perspectives of IME students on completion and non-completion in the Irish context. In particular, this research investigates why: (i) some students transfer out of IME to attend an English-medium alternative, and; (ii) some students consider transferring out IME, but ultimately choose to remain in IME, and; (iii) some students never consider leaving IME. This mixed methods study was conducted over two phases. A quantitative survey was completed by a sample of IME students (n=132). This was followed by focus groups with students (n=15) currently enrolled in IME and interviews with students (n=5) who had moved from IME to English-medium schools. Participants shared their experiences of and attitudes towards IME, their perceptions of education and discussed the factors which influenced their decision to leave or remain in IME. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was used to analyse the data generated (Mason, 2009). The findings were used to construct a new completion and non-completion model, building on existing international attrition & retention models, but which is specific to immersion education. Additionally, recommendations are provided for the future enhancement of IME provision and to help maximise completion rates in immersion education, both nationally and internationally.
Metadata
Item Type:Thesis (PhD)
Date of Award:November 2023
Refereed:No
Supervisor(s):Ó Duibhir, Pádraig
Uncontrolled Keywords:Irish-medium education; gaelcholáiste; immersion education; attrition; completion and non-completion model; oideachas lán-Ghaeilge; post-primary; student voice
Subjects:Humanities > Irish language
Social Sciences > Education
Social Sciences > Teaching
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Institute of Education > School of Language, Literacy, & Early Childhood Education
Research Initiatives and Centres > Sealbhu
Use License:This item is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. View License
Funders:School of Language, Literacy and Early Childhood Education
ID Code:28444
Deposited On:01 Nov 2023 16:30 by Pádraig Ã� Duibhir . Last Modified 01 Nov 2023 16:30
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