“Is fearr Gaeilge briste, ná Béarla cliste” An investigation into Irish immersion education teachers attitudes on correct grammar usage in the classroom and the methods they use for teaching and correction of grammar.

Abstract

The standard of grammar being spoken by children in immersion education settings in Ireland has been extensively disputed in the literature. To encourage students to use the spoken language, teachers in immersion education institutes abroad often overlook grammatical errors in the classroom. Irish teachers and their teaching methods, according to studies, have a considerable influence on the language used by pupils in their classrooms. The major objective of this research is to learn more about teachers' viewpoints on the level of Irish grammar knowledge in their classes, as well as the methods they employ to teach and correct spoken grammar. The emphasis of this study is on Irish teachers and if the same leniency is applied in Gaelscoil and Gaeltacht school settings as it is in other countries. This research also examines the instructors' teaching methods, as well as the teachers' own grammatical standards and how they relate to those of the students they teach. Semi structured interviews with a number of participants were used to gather qualitative and quantitative data. In the study's analysis chapter, these experiences and viewpoints were evaluated using a "qualitative dominant crossover mixed analysis" technique, and compared to previous research. The results indicate that teachers and their pedagogy are important in shaping the language that children use, but the data also shows that children frequently adopt their own speaking patterns and ignore corrections. This is discussed further in the conclusions chapter.