Research Project: Early years literacy in Rajasthan, India: towards more effective teaching and learning practices
Dates: 01 January 2008 - 01 January 2010
One of the most important aspects of a child's first years at school is gaining a secure base of literacy skills and habits. Children attending India's government primary schools often have low levels of achievements in literacy, and many drop out before completing even the primary stage.
Working through an NGO in Rajasthan, this study uses qualitative methods combined with Participatory Rural Appraisal approaches to researching language and literacy uses in schools and local communities. It focuses on how pedagogical practices in literacy are shaped by the intersections of teachers' underlying theories of early years literacy teaching and learning and their constructs of learners from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, combined with influences of other factors such as state curriculum policy, and how local and regional languages are used inside and outside the school.
Principal Investigator
Funding
Funded by the Social Initiatives Group of the ICICI Bank, India