School of Education
RESEARCH BRIEFING
December 2011 | Number 6E
YOUNG CHILDREN LEARNING IN GAELIC
Investigating children’s learning
experiences in Gaelic-medium preschool
INTRODUCTION
Gaelic-medium (GM) education is an important part of
current efforts to re-vitalise the language in Scotland.
Beginning Gaelic-medium education in preschool is seen
as a crucial entry point, enhancing the numbers entering
GM primary education and facilitating transition to the
school learning environment. However, it is essential that
GM preschool is of high quality. Government-funded
provision is expected to offer children the same learning
opportunities as their peers who attend English-medium
settings. Meeting these expectations is challenging
because most children enter Gaelic-medium preschool
from English-speaking homes so that the nursery or
playgroup is their only exposure to Gaelic. Our earlier
study1 mapped the range and extent of Gaelic-medium
early education and childcare provision but in the research
reported here our focus was on what happens within
settings, the children’s activities in the playroom2 and the
ways in which practitioners help them to learn Gaelic,
as well as ensuring that national expectations about
curriculum and learning outcomes are met.
The study used observation methods developed to
investigate everyday curricula and pedagogic experiences
in early years settings. Our case study settings all aimed
to offer an immersion experience with Gaelic being
used for interactions between the practitioners and
children and for displays and resources where spoken
or written language was involved. They followed the
national curriculum guidance for the Early Level3 and
adopted what can be described as ‘typical’ practices
for preschool in Scotland. The emphasis was on
learning through play and active engagement. Children
attended for half-day sessions during which they spent
most of their time making their own choices from
the activities and resources set out for them, with
only short periods gathered together in small or large
groups to take part in adult-led activities.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND METHODS
We set out to investigate:
> how 3 to 5 year olds spend their time in GM
preschool settings – the activities they are involved
with and who they spend time with
> what language is used when children talk to adults
and other children and what language they hear in
the playroom.
Our observations were carried out in three Gaelic
immersion settings:
> nursery class in a Gaelic-medium primary school
(Highfields)
> nursery class in a primary school with Gaelic and
English strands (Newton)
> nursery class in a nursery school with Gaelic and
English strands (Braes).
Two of these settings were located in the central belt
of Scotland and one in the north of the country.
We conducted five rounds of systematic observations
over the course of one school year, recording what
children were doing, the resources they were using,
their response modes, the language they used with
adults and peers and the pedagogic actions of their
practitioners. We noted the learning opportunities,
materials and displays available in the playroom, paying
particular attention to the resources and activities
associated with provision of a rich language learning
environment e.g. books, puppets, singing, props for
dramatic play.
On our sixth visit to each setting we invited children
to take part in structured conversations about using
Gaelic in the playroom. When we invited children
to talk to the researcher we ensured their willing
assent and respected their wishes if they chose not
to take part or to leave before all of the structured
conversation was completed.
RESEARCH FINDINGS4
What are children doing in the playroom?
In each of the playrooms involved in this study children
were expected to choose from the variety of activities
and resources set out. Our data reflects what children
chose from the options available and the activities
that they were drawn into when they were required
to take part in brief adult-led small group periods or
times when all children were gathered together under
the direction of an adult e.g. for singing at the end of
the session.
What was on offer varied across the settings and
children were observed over time pursuing individual
interests (e.g. playing ‘families’, drawing) or
choosing to use particular resources such as sand or
construction equipment. Nevertheless, there were
variations between settings in the provision of learning
opportunities which might have particular relevance
for language immersion playrooms. For instance,
during our five observation periods puppets were only
used in one setting, group story reading happened
sometimes in two settings but was not seen at all in
the third. There were few opportunities available in any
setting for other group activities which could support
language learning such as reciting finger rhymes and
poems, hearing a story told by an adult or children
sharing news. There were Gaelic books on display
in each setting and the books changed over time.
However, the settings had varying numbers of books
available and at Newton there were books written
in English in the library area as the space was used
for English-medium provision too. There were ample
opportunities for play with small world resources, dolls
and dramatic play props but many fewer activities
planned to support the development of language for
reasoning and limited use of technologies to stimulate
the understanding and use of Gaelic.
When we look at what children are doing in terms of
curriculum areas then we find that they were most
frequently observed engaged in activities that can be
categorised as related to expressive arts and language
development. They were less frequently observed to be
engaged in activities concerned with health and wellbeing, mathematics and science. However, there was
more emphasis on number at Highfields than either
of the other settings and a temporary project at Braes
raised the level of engagement in science activities.
The children in these three settings were seldom
observed taking part in activities related to three areas
of the curriculum: religious and moral understanding;
social science and technology. While the focus on
expressive arts and language is not surprising, the lack
of engagement with technology is unexpected but
may reflect the availability and attractiveness of the
technologies in the playroom compared to the more
traditional resources. On this basis it appears that
children in these playrooms may not be experiencing
the full range of curricular areas anticipated for the
Early Level, or at least not in their regular, day by day
choices in the playroom.
An alternative way of looking at how the children
spend their time in the playroom is to focus on their
actions and behaviours. Approached in this way
our data suggest that at each setting children spent
more time in what can be summarised as tidying and
transition than any other actions. In Table 1 we have
listed the most commonly observed actions at each
setting along with the proportion of all observations
at that setting accounted for by each action type.
Activities recorded on less than 5% of the observation
episodes were not included in this table.
TABLE 1
ACTIONS FREQUENTLY OBSERVED IN THE PLAYROOMS
NEWTON
BRAES
HIGHFIELDS
Tidying/transitions
35%
Tidying/transitions
15%
Tidying/transitions
28%
Dramatic play/role play
9%
Singing in Gaelic
13%
Number
11%
Singing in Gaelic
7%
Sand
12%
Drawing/writing/painting
9%
Construction
6%
Chatting
8%
Physical play
9%
Computer/technologies
6%
Science
7%
Listen to story in Gaelic
7%
Craft
7%
Singing in Gaelic
6%
Dramatic play/role play
6%
Small world play
5%
Computer/technologies
6%
Construction
5%
Two things are striking about these figures. The first is
the dominance of time spent in tidying or transitions
between phases of the day (e.g. waiting for all to
gather into one group, getting dressed to go outside).
The second is the variability across settings. For
instance, singing in Gaelic was noted on 13% of the
observations at Braes but only 7% and 6% at the other
settings. Physical play accounts for 9% at one setting
but less than 5% elsewhere, and while children at
Newton were observed engaging in dramatic play on
9% of observations this dropped to 6% at Braes and
less than 5% at Highfields. Among the least frequently
observed activities were small group discussions with
an adult, looking at books and playing music.
What language do children hear and use in
the playroom?
Although each of the settings aimed to offer an
immersion experience it is clear that English intrudes.
In just over half the observation episodes across all the
settings the language that children were hearing was
Gaelic. Children were hearing English in 27-37% of the
total number of observations. Practitioners used English
to talk to visitors and to parents. They were heard to
re-phrase in English to aid understanding or to console
an unhappy child.
TABLE 2
LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY CHILDREN IN THE PLAYROOM
Speaking English
Speaking Gaelic
Not speaking
BRAES
65%
20%
15%
NEWTON
62%
8%
31%
HIGHFIELDS
53%
13%
34%
Table 2 shows the proportion of observations episodes
across the school year when the target children were
noted to be speaking English, Gaelic or not speaking
at all. In these settings children spoke in English much
more often than they spoke in Gaelic but for beginning
learners this may be what can be expected and it does
not necessarily reflect what they can understand in
Gaelic. However, the differences between settings
warrant further investigation. For instance, what
practices can be shared to ensure that all children in
GM settings achieve the higher levels of use of Gaelic
presented in Table 2?
When children were heard using Gaelic this was
overwhelmingly in the context of adult–led story
time or singing. They were also recorded responding
correctly in Gaelic about the name of the day or
month, rote counting or using familiar phrases such as
‘thank you’, asking to go to the toilet or ‘tidy-up time’
(expressions typically found on the ‘target’ language
lists of the settings) . Some children were able to name
activities in Gaelic (e.g. sand or water). While this use
of Gaelic may be a helpful preparation for progression
to the routines of primary school it does not seem to
equip the children with conversational or personally
meaningful language at this stage.
It is clear from our evidence that the children speak
to each other in English. With very few children
coming from homes where Gaelic is spoken the
language which they share is English and it is
unsurprising that in a child-led learning environment,
where children often engage in activities with
peers and without an adult present, English will
be used. One to one time with a practitioner was
unusual (varying across settings from 1-4% of the
total number of observations) but children were
more likely to experience small group discussions,
games and activities led by an adult. At Braes and
Newton this kind of interaction occurred on 21%
of the observation episodes but at Highfields it was
only 13%. However, there was no adult involved in
the activities of most children during the majority
of observations (ranging from 61-70% of the total
across the settings). These findings reflect the
consensus on appropriate preschool practice in
Scotland and the adult:child ratios in the playrooms.
But they raise questions about whether what is
considered appropriate in English-medium provision
is best suited to immersion settings where children
depend on practitioners for access to the language
they are learning and through which they are learning.
Are the children engaged?
Regardless of the activity in which they are engaged
children are more likely to learn when they are
intensely engaged. These experiences are satisfying too
and enhance children’s self-esteem and disposition to
learn. During the observations we recorded children’s
level of engagement using a four-point scale developed
in previous studies: disengaged; engaged but easily
distracted; engaged but distractible; intensely engaged.
Typical levels of engagement varied across the settings.
At Newton there were more than twice as many
episodes when children were disengaged and only
about two thirds as many where they were intensely
engaged as at the other two settings.
Across the three settings we found that when children
were hearing Gaelic the most frequently observed level
of engagement was ‘engaged but easily distracted’.
When English was being used some were ‘engaged
but easily distracted’ but others were more likely to be
engaged and less readily distracted. It is interesting to
note that when children were alone or alongside others
but not in conversation the most frequently observed
level of engagement was ‘intensely engaged’. While
these periods of intense engagement are welcome
positive indicators for learning they are also times
when no Gaelic is being experienced. Developing
practice so that children in all settings move towards
more periods of intense engagement and are more
intensely engaged when listening to and responding
to Gaelic should support their attainment across all
learning outcomes and their acquisition of Gaelic.
CHALLENGES FOR GAELIC-MEDIUM
PRESCHOOL PROVISION
Deciding on priorities and expectations
> Developing practice means considering the purposes
of provision, deciding on priorities and finding ways
of addressing the particular explicit and implicit
tensions which arise with Gaelic-medium preschool.
For instance, should there be a focus on distinctive
cultural forms and practices? What should be
‘imported’ from English-medium provision and
resources? Should families be expected to learn
Gaelic along with their children?
Training and recruiting practitioners
> High quality Gaelic immersion provision
demands practitioners who have: (i) a developed
understanding of practices which support young
children as they learn about and through a
language which they do not encounter at home
or in their community; (ii) are confident and
fluent Gaelic speakers, able to respond quickly to
children’s spontaneous requests and talk about
a broad range of topics; and (iii) understand and
implement up-to-date guidance on good preschool
practices. The predominantly English-medium initial
professional education currently available, the lack
of targeted continuing professional development
and the limited pool of Gaelic speakers from which
to recruit means that it is difficult to ensure that
practitioners in all settings meet these criteria.
The quality of GM preschool provision would be
enhanced by articulating a body of professional
expertise about Gaelic immersion provision in the
early years and ensuring that all practitioners can
share in this knowledge.
Achieving learning outcomes
> GM preschools offer a broad range of activity
types and encourage children’s development of
an appropriate range of behavioural responses
but our evidence suggests that they may not be
covering all aspects of the curriculum. They may
therefore be experiencing a different range of
learning opportunities from their peers in Englishmedium provision. Whether this is an inevitable
consequence of immersion education, balanced
by the benefit of learning another language,
or a matter for concern should be debated and
acknowledged in planning and evaluation. The
cognitive challenge some curriculum areas pose
for children learning in a new language needs to
be investigated and taken into account in terms of
the outcomes expected from GM provision. Some
behaviours which contribute to learning may not
require language (e.g. mastering fine motor skills)
or are likely to be most highly developed in English
(e.g. role play). Encouraging these behaviours
will have to be balanced with concerns about
maximising children’s exposure to Gaelic.
Developing pedagogy
> In immersion settings where children depend on
adults for access to the language of learning direct
scaffolding from practitioners who engage in multimodal interactions (e.g. gestures, demonstrations,
visual clues) is critical. However, our data indicates
that the 1:1 or small group activities with an adult
that foster this approach did not happen often.
While the pedagogic importance of interactions
with adults is acknowledged in current guidance
on appropriate practice, children in preschool
settings are also expected to learn as they engage
with peers or explore, act or practise alone. Posing
extending questions, encouraging sustained shared
thinking and asking children to solve problems are
valuable pedagogic strategies but may be less useful
when they have limited access to the language of
the playroom. It is necessary to consider whether
staffing ratios and expectations about pedagogy
can be transferred from English-medium to Gaelicmedium provision.
Supporting engagement
> Learning is fostered by periods of intense
engagement. The challenge for Gaelic-medium
provision is to ensure that children experience
high levels of engagement in activities that involve
using or hearing Gaelic. Children are more likely
to be engaged when they are able to choose what
to be involved with and when the activities on
offer are clearly linked to authentic experiences.
Technology offers the prospect of engaging with
resources that children find motivating and which
can contribute to the scaffolding which expert
practitioners provide. However, the technological
resources available in the settings involved in this
study were limited in their appeal and potential for
supporting learning. New technologies such as ipads
will have more to offer and, along with commonly
available items like digital cameras, will be familiar
to children and open possibilities for creating and
communicating in Gaelic. Balancing the possibly
contradictory demands of (i) free play and language
learning methods and (ii) authentic, contemporary
activities and access to Gaelic culture requires
development work across the GM preschool sector.
Endnotes
1
Stephen C., McPake J., McLeod W., Pollock I. & Carroll T.
(2010) Review of Gaelic Medium Early Education and Childcare.
Scottish Government Social Research, Research Findings
No 57 available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/
Doc/315694/0100403.pdf
2
By playroom we mean all the indoor and outdoor spaces used
by children in each setting.
3
Early Years: Curriculum for Excellence, Education Scotland
available at http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/earlyyears/curriculum/
index.asp
4
All place names and names of individuals are pseudonyms.
This project was funded by the British Academy
FURTHER DETAILS
Project Team
Christine Stephen, University of Stirling
Joanna McPake, University of Strathclyde
Wilson McLeod, University of Edinburgh
Irene Pollock, University of Stirling
Contact
Dr Christine Stephen
School of Education
University of Stirling
Stirling FK9 4LA
christine.stephen@stir.ac.uk
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159. Photography: ©istockphoto.com/enjoynz & dcdp