Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 2: The MIER College of Education hosted a research colloquium organized by the Research and Development Cell. The resource person for the research colloquium was Dr. Tikaram Poudel, Associate Professor School of Education Kathmandu University, Nepal.
The theme of the colloquium was “Language disparity: A process of marginalization barring classroom interaction.” The session was chaired by Prof. Adit Gupta, Director and Principal MIER College. Prof. Rohnika Sharma, HoD SoE, Dr. Monika Bajaj, HoD SSSH, Prof. Nishta Rana, Head Research and Development Cell, along with the faculty and students of the PG Department, attended the colloquium. Dr. Poudel opened his deliberations by explaining that for any student, basic literacy and numeracy skills are key to building a quality education but language disparity in the classroom can affect a student’s academic performance.
Languages create communication barriers in the classroom which makes it difficult for students to get the most out of their education. Dr. Poudel shared his research project, findings, and recommendations. Dr. Poudel’s auto-ethnography focused on his experiences as a child belonging to a different linguistic background, and its impact on his classroom interaction and academic achievement.
Through his lived experience Dr. Poudel connected his insights to self-identity, cultural norms and resources, communication practices, premises, and larger socio-cultural issues. He used observational, participatory and reflexive research methods. Dr. Poudel elaborated on the implications of the study and recommendations, and this was followed by an interactive Q&A session. Prof. Adit Gupta, in his presidential remarks, congratulated Dr. Poudel on conducting an auto-ethnographical study which is a phenomenological method of narrative research and writing that aims to offer researchers experiences of social and cultural life that are compelling, striking, and evocative to highlight issues.
He said students with a lack of English language knowledge often struggle to communicate in classroom settings and will also have difficulty comprehending lessons. This creates a home-school conflict. He also emphasized qualitative research methods especially auto-ethnography can be taken up with students and other faculty members.
The colloquium ended with a formal vote of thanks presented by Dr. Nishta Rana, Head R&D Cell. |
