ERIC Number: EJ1300900
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1350-293X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Why Parents Chose to Send Their Children to Irish-Medium Immersion Preschools: Learning from Parental Choice Strategies in Celtic Countries
Mhic Mhathúna, Máire; Nic Fhionnlaoich, Fiona
European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, v29 n3 p441-454 2021
This study investigated the reasons Irish parents chose to send their children to Irish-medium preschools settings over other forms of early childhood education. The international literature on parental decision making regarding childcare and relevant studies on immersion education in Celtic countries were reviewed. A parental questionnaire, informed by this literature, was distributed through selected immersion settings in Ireland. Social and cognitive development were the main reasons parents cited in regard to early childhood education and an interest in the Irish language and bilingualism along with the good reputation of the immersion preschool were the reasons they chose immersion preschooling. Comparisons were made with the reasons parents chose immersion primary education in Scotland, Wales and Ireland and the findings were broadly similar across the studies. Recommendations include disseminating information about immersion preschools more widely as well as reviewing the impact of the "Education (Admission to Schools) Act" (DES, "Admission to Schools Policy." Dublin: DES. http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2018/act/14/enacted/en/html, 2018) on enrolment in Irish-medium preschools and primary schools.
Descriptors: School Choice, Language of Instruction, Bilingual Education, Irish, Immersion Programs, Preschool Children, Second Language Learning, Social Development, Cognitive Development, Foreign Countries, Parent Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ireland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A