Resumen de The teaching and learning of reading in an immersion setting: A focus on word recognition

Jacqueline de Brún, Padraig O Duibhir, Eithne Kennedy

• Word recognition is vital in the reading process and word reading relates to comprehension. In immersion settings, there is a lack of empirical evidence internationally of how the teaching of reading affects pupils’ literacy development, and what skills and strategies are employed by pupils in their reading. In Ireland, children learn to read in Irish and English in Irish language immersion schools. In recent years, phonics programmes in Irish have been introduced to schools. But little is known about taught application of strategies when reading, or if these strategies are effective. The current study was designed to ascertain how Irish immersion pupils aged 9–11 recognise words in their reading in Irish. Assessment tools that focus on word recognition strategies were developed specifically for this study. Pupils from two schools (n = 159) in two jurisdictions were selected for assessments. This study highlights the need for appropriate assessment tools when assessing reading in two or more languages and in a minority language context. Teacher knowledge is vital, and with a greater focus on the orthography of Irish, teachers could be equipped to assist pupils with phonemic strategies as well as provide more opportunities to read.