Plurilingual views of children from linguistically diverse backgrounds on learning Irish and attending Irish immersionprimary schools

Abstract Using plurilingualism as a theoretical framework, this study investigated the experiences and perceptions of children, who spoke home languages other than Irish or English, on learning Irish and being educated in Irish immersion (IM) education. Data were collected from four focus groups ( n = 15) and one paired interview ( n = 2) with children in five IM primary schools. Findings from this small group of children relayed positive experiences of both learning Irish and IM education. Children shared plurilingual perspectives of language learning, where they viewed Irish as a kind of linguistic capital and all the languages in their repertoire as assets for communication and learning. Use of particular languages was mostly separate across linguistic domains and children had little opportunity to use home languages in school. Children from linguistically diverse backgrounds are underrepresented in IM immersion. The paper prompts consideration of how to support student diversity and plurilingual approaches within immersion programmes.