Linguistic Diversity and English Pedagogy: A Preliminary Study in the Tea-Garden Classrooms
Keywords:
Tea garden schools, upper primary government schools, linguistic diversityAbstract
The learners in the tea garden schools of Assam come from diverse linguistic backgrounds including Assamese, Sadri, Mising, Nepali, Bengali, and others, and the majority of them hail from the tea community. The rich linguistic diversity goes mostly unutilized and the language mostly used for teaching English is Assamese (the medium of instruction). This poses challenges for learners from linguistic backgrounds other than Assamese. This preliminary study explores the usage of languages in the English teaching-learning process at the tea-garden upper primary government schools, shedding light on the intricate linguistic dynamics within the classroom and the challenges associated with it. Findings indicate teachers’ partial awareness about learners’ linguistic backgrounds, gaps between teachers’ reported practices and actual practices in terms of language use, classroom procedures mostly dominated by the use of Assamese language, and reveal some language learning challenges caused by the complex linguistic setting and socio-economic backgrounds of learners.
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