An evaluation of pupil perceptions of Ireland, Irish history and its contribution to history teaching in our multicultural society

Abstract

This article uses case-study research to explore pupil perceptions of Ireland and its impact on learning an aspect of Irish history. The topic is linked to multicultural perspectives within both history and citizenship. Survey data is used to provide an insight into pupil knowledge and perceptions of Ireland by comparing it with their perceptions of England, Scotland and Wales. This is related to diary and focus study responses given by the children when studying a unit of work. The research suggests that the historical knowledge of the pupils registered poorly against other forms of knowledge, and is often related to recent events reported in the media; also, that family influences are as important as school. This does not appear to have adversely affected the children's response to studying about Ireland's past with respect to this particular study, although it is possible that family links could have some impact on pupil discourses. The overall conclusion is that the study of Ireland's past has the potential to enhance the quality of history and citizenship education in the context of our multicultural society.

Keywords:

• Ireland
• History
• Multicultural
• Citizenship