A Dilemma of Freedom and Equality: The Effect of Government Involvement on ESLE Practices

Abstract

This thesis answers the question: ‘What effect does government involvement have in ESLE practices?’. In order to discover the effect of government influence, cases of ESLE practices in countries with different levels of government involvement were compared. The Netherlands was chosen as a country with a low level of government involvement and Ireland was chosen as a country with a high level of government involvement. An insight into the ESLE practices and levels of government influence was provided by conducting semi-structured interviews with principals and teachers from ESLE schools in Ireland and the Netherlands. The current study confirmed findings from previous research that Irish ESLE has a high level of government involvement (Ó Laoire, 2008) and the Netherlands has a low level of government involvement (Unsworth, Persson, Prins & De Bot, 2014). The findings of this study suggest a link between a high level of government involvement and unity in ESLE practices. This study suggests that a government should be involved in developing guidelines and creating unity in ESLE practices and with that create equal opportunities for students.