Abstract

This dissertation examines the feelings, experiences and understandings of minority language children in the Irish primary education system with regard to the nonrecognition of their first languages in school. Data was collected with 13 Romanian and Polish speaking children during a four day Trilingual Literacy Camp rooted in Emancipatory Participatory Action Research. Data sources include dual language texts, which were used as child-developed codifications, focus group contributions and participant observations. It is argued that these children are constructed as linguistic outsiders within their schools by pedagogues who prioritise the development of English language proficiency. Within this context, the children display a complex set of linguistic practices. They possess a strong belief in the transformative potential of learning English and make calculated investments in their immediate and long-term future through practices, which they feel will help them to learn English. In addition to this, however, they are also firmly committed to maintaining their own first languages, as exemplified through their continued use of these languages within their family and social arenas. The children also engage in low-level acts of resistance against the imposition of English as a dominant language through the continued use of their languages at strategic times in school. These findings highlight an issue of real importance for policy makers and pedagogues in relation to the inequalities experienced by minority language children in Irish schools