Chapter 4: Survey of Language Use Among Teenage Pupils in Western Isles
4.1 Introduction
This chapter provides data on Gaelic vitality or fragility issues relating to teenage high-school pupils in the Western Isles and these pupils’ perception of and sociolinguistic participation in their families, schools and communities. This module of the Islands Gaelic Research Project (IGRP) sought to establish a comprehensive database on language background, geographic background, self-reported ability in Gaelic and English, including native-speaker ability in Gaelic, sources of Gaelic acquisition, family language practice and language dynamics among high-school students in their late teens. Complementary to the general portrayal of linguistic competence in the 2011 Census, analysed in Chapter 2, data in this chapter will illustrate the levels of Gaelic transmission in the home, and the prevailing attitudes towards Gaelic among teenage pupils.
The module is centred on a questionnaire-based self-report study of secondary school (i.e. high school) pupils in S5 and S6 aged between 16 and 18 in the Western Isles, the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar authority area. All four secondary schools in the Western Isles participated, these being Sgoil MhicNeacail / Nicolson Institute (Isle of Lewis), Sgoil Sir E. Scott (Isle of Harris), Sgoil Lìonacleit (Benbecula) and Sgoil Bhàgh a’ Chaisteil / Castlebay Community School (Barra). The full Research Area was not included as Staffin does not have its own secondary school and GME in the secondary school in Tiree is restricted to the teaching of Gaelic as a subject.
The need to understand how institutional provision articulates with this age group in relation to aspirations for Gaelic and communal practice of Gaelic is central to any Gaelic regeneration efforts. Given that members of this age group will form the basis for the emerging parental cohort, gathering reliable data on abilities, practices and attitudes serves to establish a clear trajectory of Gaelic vitality or fragility. The resultant analysis will be central to informing suitable Gaelic policy and planning for the use of Gaelic.
4.1.1 Aims
This module administered a questionnaire-based survey among 16–18 year olds in all four secondary schools in the Western Isles. The survey sought to determine:
- The pupils’ and parents’ geographic background
- Their language acquisition and sources of Gaelic attainment
- Their self-reported abilities in Gaelic and to a lesser extent in English
- Their social and institutional practice of Gaelic and English
- Their attitudes and opinions about Gaelic in society and related institutional provision
- Self-ascription of identity and other identity issues
- Their opinions on the prospects for Gaelic
- The prospects of participation by them in possible initiatives to support and promote Gaelic.
4.2 Overview of Gaelic-medium secondary education in Scotland
In order to give a general context to the survey of secondary pupils in Western Isles schools, this section provides an overview of the numbers of pupils attending Gaelic-medium education in Scotland as well as providing summary data on attainment levels in Gaelic subjects (i.e. secondary-level subjects taught through Gaelic-medium). We also review some of the available literature about reported attitudes of young people to the use of and support for Gaelic.
4.2.1 Gaelic-medium secondary school pupils in Scotland and levels of attainment
Education statistics are produced by Bòrd na Gàidhlig. The Bòrd provides a minimal definition of Gaelic-medium education at the secondary level as the provision by the school of Gaelic as a subject for fluent speakers (O’Hanlon et al. 2012: 3). Gaelic-medium secondary education, therefore, must provide as a minimal requirement the subject of Gaelic for fluent speakers. The provision of other subjects through the medium of Gaelic is optional within the bounds of Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s definition. Secondary pupils can study (1) Gaelic for fluent speakers; (2) Gaelic for learners; and (3) other school subjects through the medium of Gaelic.[1] In 2017–18, there were 15 subjects available in Scottish secondary schools through the medium of Gaelic, including Gaelic as a subject.[2] However, a maximal provision of all subjects being taught through Gaelic is exceptional or non-existent.
Table 4.1 shows the number and percentage of schools offering GME in secondary schools over the period 2011 to 2018. The table also indicates the number of teachers, as well as the number of subjects offered as part of Gaelic-medium provision.
|
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
2014/15 |
2015/16 |
2016/17 |
2017/18 |
|
|
Subjects available through GME |
15 |
13 |
13 |
14 |
17 |
15 |
15 |
|
Teachers of Gaelic as a subject |
60 |
65 |
59 |
66 |
51 |
63 |
59 |
|
Teachers of other subjects via GME |
38 |
40 |
35 |
40 |
38 |
38 |
44 |
|
Total Gaelic teachers |
98 |
105 |
94 |
106 |
89 |
101 |
103 |
|
Total schools with GME subjects |
35 |
33 |
33 |
32 |
30 |
31 |
31 |
|
Total schools in Scotland |
364 |
364 |
363 |
361 |
360 |
358 |
359 |
|
GME schools as % of Total schools |
10% |
9% |
9% |
9% |
8% |
9% |
9% |
During the school year 2017–18, Gaelic-medium education was offered at 31 secondary schools across 12 Local Authority areas in Scotland. As the data in Table 4.1 illustrate, there has been relatively little change in the number of subjects available since 2011. Similarly,
[1] The 2011 Scottish Qualifications Authority’s classification of Gaelic education entails more Gaelic provision than the single subject provision of Gaelic. According to this definition, any secondary school which provides at least one subject through the medium of Gaelic, in addition to Gàidhlig itself, is classified as providing Gaelic-medium secondary education. See: Scottish Qualifications Authority (2011b) Table 1.13, Pupils in Scotland, issued as a supplementary spreadsheet to Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland.