title: A constructivist grounded theory of defending inaction in the implementation of intercultural education in post-primary schooling in Ireland: Teacher perspectives
Creators: name: Harris, Greg
Publisher: name: University of Galway
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: Ireland
subject: intercultural education
subject: post-primary schooling
subject: Arts, Social Sciences &amp; Celtic Studies
subject: Education

description: Ireland has experienced considerable diversification in recent decades. In response to the increased diversity in classrooms, the Irish government has adopted a policy of intercultural education. Despite this, existing research is critical of the form of intercultural education found in Irish schools. This is broadly reflective of international research, which often finds teachers’ understandings of intercultural education to be superficial and celebratory. There is a gap in existing literature, however, on the factors that impact on how teachers understand intercultural education. This research examines Irish post-primary teachers’ understandings of intercultural education and influencing factors. In doing so, it also excavates teachers’ experiences of racism in Irish schools. As this is an under-researched, and thus under-theorised area, a Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) methodology was adopted for this study. CGT research aims to develop our conceptual and theoretical understanding of a substantive area, whilst ensuring such theory is rooted in the data gathered in the field. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirty-one post-primary teachers. Data were analysed using CGT procedures of coding and categorising, with data collection and analysis conducted iteratively over three rounds. At several points, participants were actively involved in the research process and thus the co- construction of theory. A CGT of ‘defending inaction in the implementation of intercultural education’ was constructed, explaining how teachers value intercultural education but defend the lack of it in their schools. These defences are important for maintaining teachers’ professional identities in the face of inaction regarding intercultural education. The CGT had three sub-categories constructed as part of a three-stage process. The first of these, ‘‘‘Opening my eyes” to diversity and privilege’, explains participants’ upbringings and how encounters with ethno-cultural diversity in adulthood improved their understanding of diversity and privilege. The second sub-category, ‘Valuing diversity and intercultural education’, examines participants’ understandings intercultural. Finally, ‘Defending the lack of intercultural education’ explains how participants noted and defended the lack of intercultural education in their schools. These findings are examined using international literature on teachers’ approaches to intercultural education. In line with existing research, participants largely held superficial and celebratory understandings of intercultural education. This study explores how participants’ experiences of ethno-cultural diversity in their personal and professional lives influenced their understandings of intercultural education. Interestingly, participants were aware of the ‘tokenistic’ nature of celebratory approaches to intercultural education and the lack of action related to intercultural education in their schools. Importantly, this study is the first to explore the ways teachers defend inaction regarding intercultural education. It uses literature on resistance to innovation and teacher professional identity to explain these defences. The findings of this study also deepen our understandings of racism in Irish schools. They excavate examples of explicit racism from teachers and explain the ways some participants in this study ‘othered’ minoritised students or avoided challenging racism from their colleagues due to a lack of professional security. These findings suggest interesting routes for further research. The findings have implications for both educational policy and practice. These include further training for teachers in intercultural education and its inclusion in the school self-evaluation process.