Teacher Professional Development for English Langauge
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TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR ENGLISH LANGAUGE EDUCATION IN INDIA by KIRAN RAMAMURTHY A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School – New Brunswick Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in Education Written under the direction of Mary Curran And approved by ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ New Brunswick, New Jersey January 2015 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Teacher Professional Development for English Language Education in India By KIRAN RAMAMURTHY Dissertation Director: Mary Curran The ability to speak English can have a significant impact on the life of a student in India (Canagarajah, 2007; Hosali, 2005; Krishnaswami & Burde, 1998). While the demand for English continues to be high throughout the nation, access to a high quality English language education is affected by many factors and can be difficult to find (Saghal, 1991; Sridhar, 1991; Sharma, 2005). The Indian government has attempted to improve the quality of language education over the past ten years by encouraging teachers to implement best practices for language acquisition. One program which prepares in-service teachers (ISTs) in understanding and implementing those best practices is the Academy for the Teaching of English (ATE). The goal of this project was to provide a qualitative case study of the ATE in order to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the teacher professional development program in question while determining what the language education community can learn from the study’s findings. ii The project was a qualitative case study of the teacher professional development program at the Academy for the Teaching of English. I performed one-on-one interviews with 9 professors/ administrators, and interviewed 21 in-service teachers (ISTs) in focus groups. I observed over 40 hours of classroom instruction at the ATE, analyzed relevant documents, and also observed the ISTs giving their sample lessons at the end of the program. The data showed that the ISTs were indeed focusing on how to implement the best practices recommended into their classrooms. However, the data revealed the numerous obstacles the ISTs face in trying to implement those best practices when they returned home. Recommendations are made regarding improving the program at the ATE and finally, the paper highlights what is significant about the findings to readers interested in English language education around the world. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing this dissertation has been a wonderful experience. This is the largest and most ambitious project I’ve ever worked on and the journey towards its completion has taken me to the other side of the world and back again. There are a lot of people who deserve thanks for their help along the way. I must begin by acknowledging the participants in this study. The professors and in-service teachers I met in India were so open, honest, and inspiring. The obstacles they face are incredibly intimidating yet they accept those challenges with a sense of joy and optimism. I was proud to work amongst them and grateful that they were willing to share their experiences and wisdom with me. All of the achievements in my life are accomplished with the support of my parents. They have always been the ultimate role models for me and have shown me what hard work, discipline, and passion look like. I thank them for their support throughout this long process. I also want to acknowledge my two brothers who have always served as sounding boards, advisors, and confidantes throughout my academic, professional, and personal life. My darling wife, Nicole Amina. It has been wonderful sharing this experience with you—whether it was with the daily phone calls between Bangalore and Jersey while I was collecting data or in the hours listening to me rehearse presentations or work through ideas for the paper—thanks for being so supportive of this project over these last few years. I want to express my thanks to my professors at the GSE and particularly the professors who agreed to serve on my dissertation committee. Studying in this program has been challenging and illuminating. I’ve enjoyed working with such a diverse staff of iv hard working professionals who have taken the time to help me mold my ideas and fine tune my writing. I’d also like to thank the other students in the GSE who I’ve had the pleasure of crossing paths with. Lastly, I want to thank my advisor Dr. Mary Curran. We have worked together for so many years now. My doctoral experience has been defined by our conversations and it has been a great privilege to receive so much of your care, attention, and guidance. I can’t thank you enough for all of your efforts on my behalf. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………...….ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………………iv LIST OF TABLES.....………..…………………………………………………….……...x CHAPTER ONE: PROBLEM STATEMENT AND RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY ..1 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW………………………..…………………...5 The History of English in India…………………………………………...………5 Describing the English Used in India.……………………………………,,…….19 English Education in India………………..………………………………,……..35 India’s Educational Difficulties: Implementing Effective Language Learning.,,..37 Recommendations……………………………………………………………......43 Language Education Programs Can and Should Influence Practice……………..45 Amongst Teachers Effective Teacher Professional Development…………………………………....50 Incorporating SLA Theory into the Classroom………………………………….56 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….63 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH DESIGN………….……..65 The Site………………………………………………………………….……….72 The Participants………………...…………………………………….………….81 Researcher’s Role……………………………………………………….……….87 Data Collection…………………………………………………………………..91 Data Collection-Interviews………………………………………………91 Data Collection-Teacher Observations…………………………………..92 vi Data Collection-Document Analysis…………………………………….93 Data Collection-ATE Course Observations……………………………...93 Data Collection-Graduation Ceremonies………………………………...94 Data Analysis………………………………………………………………….....94 Establishing Trustworthiness…………………………………………………….98 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS………………………………………………………..100 Research Question One: What guidelines are teacher professional…………….100 development programs in India using as they prepare in-service professional teachers? The National Curriculum Framework…………………………………..101 State Curriculum Frameworks....……………………………………….106 Textbooks……………………………………………………………….108 Feedback from the Teachers…………………………………………....110 Leaning on your Training………………………………………………112 ATE Training……………………………………………………….......113 Research Question Two: How are those recommendations being……………...114 internalized and employed by these in-service teachers? Need for Student-Centered Learning…………………………………...115 Grammar vs. Fluency…………………………………………………...117 Getting Away from the Mother Tounge………………………………..119 Need for Professional Development……………………………………123 Need to Get Away from Textbook/Curriculum Requirements…………125 Confidence………………………………………………………….......127 vii Research Question Three: What difficulties are the teachers predicting……….128 in trying to implement the best practices they come across in this teacher professional development program? What obstacles are professors at the ATE predicting for graduates of the program? Class Sizes……………………………………………………………...129 Pressure from Administrators, Teachers, Parents and Students……......131 Indian Culture…………………………………………………………..133 Textbook/Curriculum Concerns………………………………………,..135 No Technology in the Schools Back Home…………………………….137 Exam Culture……..…………………………………………………….138 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION…………………………………………………………...141 Research Question Four: What gaps may exist in the professional…………….141 development English teachers as seen by the professors and in-service teachers? What recommendations can be made to improve the teacher professional development program? Need for Better Communication Amongst Professors…………………142 How to be a Change Agent………………………………………..........146 How to Incorporate SCL………………………………………………..149 Need for Follow-up……………………………………………………..151 Some Important Ideas Not Getting Through…………………………...153 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………156 Research Question Five: What can be learned from the teacher……………….156 viii professional development program in this case study which can be useful to English language education programs around the world? Methodological Change is about a lot More than Just the……………...157 Methodology Show, Don’t Tell………………………………………………………..158 One Size Does Not Fit All………………………………………….......161 Don’t Assume…………………………………………………………..162 Difficulty of Implementing National/State Level Curriculum………….164 Implications for Practice………………………………………………………..166 Limitations and Opportunities for Future Research…………………………….168 A Final Note.……………………………………………………………………169 REFERENCES… ……………………………………………………………………...171 APPENDIX A…………………………………………………………………………..177 APPENDIX B…………………………………………………………………………..179 APPENDIX C…………………………………………………………………………..181 ix LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1. Professors/Administrators at the ATE……………………..…….….………82 TABLE 2. IST Group 1………………………………………………..…….….………84 TABLE 3. IST Group 2………………………………………………..…….….………84 TABLE 4. IST Group 3………………………………………………..…….….………85 TABLE 5. IST Group 4………………………………………………..…….….………85 TABLE 6. IST Group 5………………………………………………..…….….………85 TABLE 7. IST Group 6………………………………………………..…….….………86