Parents of children attending Gaelscoileanna enjoy greater access to schools than parents in mainstream schools, new research has shown.
The research, published in The Irish Journal of Education, says that Gaelscoil parents have more contact with school principals and greater access to information about their child's school record than their counterparts in mainstream schools.
They also enjoy more freedom to discuss school policy issues with the principals and boards of management, and a higher level of involvement in school policy formation.
According to the author of the study, Mr Brian Mac Giolla Phadraig, this means Gaelscoileanna "could provide a fertile starting place for initiatives to broaden parental involvement in general school matters".
However, the study shows that no major differences exist between parents in either type of schools when it comes to issues such as access to teachers.
And while parents in both types of schools attached the same level of importance to the provision of information to parents, Gaelscoil parents said they receive more information than those with children in mainstream primary schools.
Mr Mac Giolla Phadraig, of NUI Galway, says the results may be indicative of differences in the processes at work in the two types of schools.
"It may be that the involvement of parents in the establishment of Gaelscoileanna makes partnerships on issues of general school matters more explicit than in mainstream primary schools.
"The differences may also be partly due to the fact that most Gaelscoileanna are relatively new, and thus may be in an establishment phase rather than a more maintenance-oriented phase, as would be the case in most mainstream primary schools."
The research is based upon a survey of parents' perceptions of their involvement in Gaelscoileanna and a national sample of primary schools. Parents of pupils in senior infants and fifth classes were selected.
Ms Nora Ni Loingsigh, acting chief executive of Gaelscoileanna, which represents Irish-language schools, said she was not surprised by the findings. Parents who helped set up Gaelscoileanna were more likely to be "in and around the place".