An Investigation into Irish Primary Teachers’ Experiences and Perspectives of Teaching Children with English as an Additional Language in the Mainstream Classroom

Abstract

This study critically explores the experiences and perspectives of Irish primary teachers in the mainstream setting, who welcome children with English as an additional language into their classrooms. With use of the relevant literature, this study sought to express the perspectives of teachers in the context of Irish mainstream classrooms and to identify the key challenges teachers face in this area of teaching and learning. Adopting a qualitative study methodology, data was collected through nine semi-structured interviews, whereby all participants were employed in Ireland as mainstream teachers. The study findings indicate that while participants faced a wide range of challenges in their everyday experiences with children learning English as an additional language (EAL), all participants had a positive and open outlook. Recommendations from the research include Continued Professional Development (CPD) and the need for accessible resources to be made available to teachers to enable them to provide the best support possible for children learning EAL.