Becoming a teacher of Irish : the evolution of beliefs, attitudes and role of perceptions

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to explore the process of becoming a primary level teacher of Irish, the official yet minority language in Ireland. Since all primary level teachers must teach Irish, becoming a primary teacher in Ireland is bound up in complex ways with the process of becoming a teacher of a minority language and with personal attitudes to, and views on, the language itself. The study represents the first substantial attempt to analyse these complexities from the point of view of the student teacher. It focuses particularly on the beginning pre-service teacher's beliefs about teaching Irish, attitudes to the Irish language and to teaching Irish, and role perceptions. In addition, it explores whether, and to what extent, beliefs, attitudes and perceptions change at different stages of the initial teacher education programme and during the period of early inservice practice. Finally, we examine two key obligatory placements that students undertake during their initial teacher education programme: school placement and placement in the target Irish-language community (An Ghaettacht). This examination involves looking at both pre-service teachers' early anticipations, and their later actual experience, of the placements; and the impact of the placements, if any, on beliefs, attitudes and role perceptions.