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Medium of instruction in agricultural universities, by course and level Medium of Instruction Agriculture Dairying Engineering Fisheries Science Tec UG PG UG PG UG PG UG PG UG PG
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Metamorphosis of English language from library language to language of upward mobility (Meganathan 2011) and the “political response to social demand” for the (English) language (NCERT in Language attainments and learning opportunities: Pointer for a new curriculum framework, 2005) has resulted in language-in-education policy crisis both in school...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... it is hardly available as a medium of instruction in engineering and technology and pharmacy courses at both levels, and in medicine and library science at the postgraduate level. Table 4) that in all except arts and education courses at both levels, and commerce and science courses at the undergraduate Data on the medium of instruction in agricultural universities are available for 21 universities (see Table 5). In all these universities, in all courses and at both levels, In all the institutions of national importance, excepting the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha (D.B.H.P.S.), Madras, English is the exclusive medium of instruction in the various courses which they offer or research upon, namely, science and technology, medicine, and architecture. ...Citations
... Language plays a vital role in learning, as Meganathan (2019), has put forth in his book "Language Across the Curriculum" that both language and learning are interlaced together. Therefore, language is the instrument of learning (Meganathan, 2022). Language defines a population, a culture, or a community. ...
... As years passed by, this debate over the language or the medium of instruction has grown intense. Meganathan (2022), further explains that the language policy in India is the product of the political and social controversy over the mother tongue or the regional language medium of instruction. Language planning is not an easy task in India because of the underlying complexities and politics. ...
This research paper studied the perspectives of the stakeholders (teachers, students, and parents) regarding the use of regional language as the medium of instruction in the Indian higher education through qualitative research. Formal and informal interview and focus group discussion was used to collect data from sixty (60) participants (20 students, 20 teachers, and 20 parents). The findings reveal that English language is the most preferred medium of instruction at the higher education level.
... Language plays a vital role in learning, as Meganathan (2019), has put forth in his book "Language Across the Curriculum" that both language and learning are interlaced together. Therefore, language is the instrument of learning (Meganathan, 2022). Language defines a population, a culture, or a community. ...
... As years passed by, this debate over the language or the medium of instruction has grown intense. Meganathan (2022), further explains that the language policy in India is the product of the political and social controversy over the mother tongue or the regional language medium of instruction. Language planning is not an easy task in India because of the underlying complexities and politics. ...
This research paper studied the perspectives of the stakeholders (teachers, students, and parents) regarding the use of regional language as the medium of instruction in the Indian higher education through qualitative research. Formal and informal interview and focus group discussion was used to collect data from sixty (60) participants (20 students, 20 teachers, and 20 parents). The findings reveal that English language is the most preferred medium of instruction at the higher education level.
... An effective communication in terms of the set of common instruction is a very important pedagogical attribute for any class room teaching (Meganathan, R. 2022). For the highest level of attainment in the academic performance of the learners, the correct flow of the instructions and clear communication is like a pre-requisite. ...
The escalating transits of learners across the international boundaries have resulted into several eruptive pedagogical practices in the class room teaching. A paradigm shift in the pedagogies has been experienced by the teachers to fulfilling the academic demands by the international learners. Though the teaching-learning processes have become more effective, versatile and technology driven due to the learners’ diversity, it may be important to understand the challenges, barriers and psychological reflections by the teachers in facing these transformations. The article analyses the reflections by the teachers on the catering to the student’s diversity. Total of sixty one teachers from different engineering streams participated in the survey. The data were collected anonymously. A metaanalysis has been carried out to obtain the similarities and differences of reflections on various hypotheses. All the important attributes of academics namely pedagogic, assessment, method of instructions, cultural integration of students in a common task, and overall influence of the diversity on the teaching-learning processes have been discussed. The study revealed that the teachers had to accommodate the diversity in their concurrent pedagogic and students had to develop new learning styles. The teachers have shown agreement on most of the hypothesis mentioned in the questionnaire; however it was found that catering the students’ diversity in the class room is the function of the interpersonal skills, academic experience and ability to communicate effectively with the diversified learners. The results established that the teachers will have to accommodate the learner’s diversity by a continuous up gradation and by embracing the new ways of pedagogical practices. The study inspired the authors to propose a model for effective pedagogy in the diversified class rooms and has been presented for the futuristic discussion by the readers and academicians. Keywords—Diversity; Engineering education; Learners; Metaanalysis; Pedagogy; Teachers
... First, the teaching of English in India can be traced back to the British colonial rule, more specifically to a policy known as Macaulay's Minute on Education (Macaulay, 1835), which instigated a theme of rote memorization, an absence of inquiry and critical thinking, as well as a centrally imposed curriculum. The post-colonial and independence eras saw the evolution of the English language from being a mere colonial legacy to becoming a primary language of international commerce and communication, which can be attributed to the liberalization of the Indian economy and globalization (Meganathan, 2022). Unfortunately, the Indian education system in general is still geared towards rote memorization of all subject areas, including reading. ...
Most private schools in India follow the Alphabet-Spelling method to teach reading in English. This approach bypasses letter-sound correspondences and focuses on rote memorization and sight-word recognition. In an effort to provide students with more recent evidence-based practices in reading instruction, this study examined how phonics-based instruction related with early English literacy outcomes for students in kindergarten. Our sample consisted of 627 students attending a private middle-cost school in Mumbai, India where the language of instruction was English. Students were tested for early literacy skills in kindergarten using the DIBELSNext benchmarking measures. We compared groups of students who received no phonics (n = 165) to students who received one year of phonics (n = 234) and students who received two years of phonics (n = 228) respectively. Our results suggested that students who received both one and two years of phonics instruction in preschool significantly outperformed those who did not receive any phonics instruction on all the literacy skills assessed. Moreover, the incidence of students being at-risk for reading difficulties reduced significantly with an increase in years of phonics instruction. Implications for reading research, practice, and policy in the Indian context are discussed.
Introduction
This study aims to focus on government school students, who struggle hard to express themselves in English.
Methods
A two-group simple randomized design was used for this study, and an experimental study was carried out among 60 rural high school students. ‘Captivating activities’ (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) have been used to find the effect on learners’ communication skills. Furthermore, a pre-test and a post-test were conducted between groups, and their scores were analyzed. A paired sample t-test was carried out to identify the difference between controlled and experimental groups.
Results
The results showed that there was a significant average difference observed between the pre-test and post-test scores (t28 = 8.327, p = 0.000, p < 0.01) of the experimental group.
Discussion
As an outcome of the tested strategy, it was understood that an English-speaking environment can help students improve their language skills to some extent. It was concluded that the captivating activities (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) are effective for augmenting learners’ communication skills.
The world has witnessed the growing demand for learning, practicing, and using English in almost every walk of life. Globalization, technological advancements, government reforms, changing demands of business, and educational reforms have underlined and created a sense of urgency to develop and enhance English communication skills. English is not only a medium of instruction but is also considered one of the employability skills for graduates. Many vernacular background students face challenges in learning and improving English communication skills from business perspectives. The present article aims to identify the major challenges college students face from an employability perspective and analyzes how technology contributes to minimizing communication barriers and improving communication skills at the college level. This article is empirical in nature. The structured questionnaire is administered to target respondents of 180 students studying Engineering courses in the state of Tamil Nadu. The study is significant keeping the educational reforms in the form of National Education Policy 2020, technological advancements, e-learning, quality education, and sustainable education perspectives.
