Search

This qualitative case study explored the professional and personal growth benefits for women faculty who engage in mentoring relationships at a historically black college or university (HBCU). Data were collected using one-on-one interviews with full- and part-time women faculty members who served as research participants. The participants provided data about their experiences with mentoring, including details such as the frequency of their meetings with mentoring partners, the preferred method of communication, and the areas of support resulting from the mentoring relationship. Findings indicated that mentoring relationships positively enhanced the experience for women faculty teaching in full-time or adjunct positions in higher education. Mentoring relationships provide support, guidance, and even retention of the mentee. The findings also suggested the importance of structured mentoring programs developed and supported by universities for women faculty.

Scheduling of practice to create a spacing effect has been observed to lead to superior retention of L2 vocabulary and grammar. Two of the various methods of scheduling L2 task practice discussed widely in recent times are interleaving and blocking. In a desirable difficulty framework, both of these methods have been recommended for task repetition practices aimed at learning L2 vocabulary and grammar. Used at the appropriate level of difficulty both have been observed to facilitate the automatization and proceduralization of linguistic knowledge. Keeping two groups of 44 Indian adolescent English as L2 learners under interleaved and blocked conditions during a three-month-long task repetition practice program, the present study attempted to measure the difference in the effect of interleaving and blocking on the retention rate of English vocabulary and grammar. No statistically significant difference in the effect of these two methods on the retention of English vocabulary and grammar was recorded in a repeated measures ANOVA test (p=0.17, F=2.05, d=0.09) conducted on the pre-test, intermediate test, and post-test scores of the participants. Both groups continued to demonstrate limited flexibility and appropriacy in word choice and rare instances of complex forms and structures of sentences in English throughout the three tests.

This article is concerned with an institutional initiative designed to encourage the development of an outreach culture which can support fairer, more equal, access to higher education (HE) in India. The initiative constituted the final impact phase of a 5-year Fair Chance Foundation (FCF) research project (2017-2022) which explored gendered pathways to fair access to HE in the northern Indian state of Haryana. We present the methodology used to prepare a toolkit, named an Outreach Activity Resource (OAR), which enabled staff in government colleges in Haryana to plan and conduct pilot 'taster days'. The article provides an assessment of the outcome of these events. It argues that a practitioner as researcher methodology and a collaborative 'bottom up' research approach provide the basis for the development of contextually appropriate outreach activities to support fairer, more equal, access to higher education (HE). We argue that the adoption of 'top down' initiatives, in very different economic, social and cultural contexts to the those where they were originated, may fail to address the way in which the local 'problem' presents itself and may hinder the development of a contextually informed outreach culture which will support fairer, more equal access to HE. In contrast, initiatives such as the one presented here can contribute essential locally informed expertise, built on contextually informed research, to national and international policy making in relation to widening access to HE in an era in which massification is extending across the globe.

The importance of parent-child shared book reading (SBR) is well established. However, there is a limited understanding of parental interaction patterns during SBR among preschool children in the Indian context. Using a cross-sectional observational study design, mothers' verbal and nonverbal behavior during SBR was analyzed in 26 Kannada-speaking mother-child dyads. Relationships between the quantity of SBR experiences and parental attitudes and beliefs about storybook reading were examined. Findings revealed that mothers predominantly used dialogic reading strategies followed by extra-textual talk, print referencing strategies, and nonverbal strategies. Few correlations were found between parental attitudes and beliefs and the quantity of SBR experiences. Implications for parent training in SBR are discussed.

The Integrated Course Design (ICD), using Fink's taxonomy of significant learning, popularly known as ICD/SL, is a handy way to create a better learning environment for students. It is a learner-centered approach with the desired end-product, but at the same time, it upgrades the teaching by improving the instructors' delivery mechanism. Our goal of this study was to see whether ICD/SL affects students' class participation and academic performance in the "Introduction to Bioinformatics" course offered at the Department of Biological Science, BITS Pilani, Pilani campus, India. Three class groups were chosen for this purpose: 2019-2020 (51 students), 2020-2021 (77 students), and 2021-2022 (72 students). The control group, 2019-2020, received no ICD/SL instruction; the remaining two groups, 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, received ICD/SL instruction that included revised learning goals based on Fink's taxonomy and new teaching and evaluation activities. A Likert scale was utilized to assess students' academic feedback using the Kruskal-Wallis test to determine the P-value. The findings showed that the treatment groups had higher class participation and academic performance in the summative assessment of final grades. In the experimental groups, the class participation was 23 to 27% higher compared to the control group. The absenteeism rate on the course decreased from 14% in 2019-2020 to 9% in 2020-2021 and 4% in 2021-2022. Also, in the treatment groups, 83 to 90% of students were in the High to Excellent category, compared to 74% in the control group. The failure rate of the course decreased from nearly 18 to 10% in 2021-2022 and only 6% in 2020-2021. There were significant differences between the treatment and control groups in class participation and academic performance (P < 0.05). This study has shown that the use of ICD/SL has the potential to improve students' class participation and academic performance.

Wellbeing of international students is an extensively explored topic in international education discourses. A plethora of research has been devoted to general wellbeing of international students. Nevertheless, little is known about international students' spiritual wellbeing which can be pivotal to their adaptation to the new environment. In the context of New Zealand higher education, utilizing an intrinsic single case study design, this study examined spiritual wellbeing experienced by Indian international students. Phenomenographic interviews were conducted with 13 Indian students who were studying management courses at postgraduate level in an institute of technology in a North Island city of New Zealand. Data analysis generated three dimensions (spiritual cognition, spiritual practice, spiritual efficacy) of spiritual wellbeing which were influenced by four strategies of adaptation (connection, isolation, accommodation, integration). This study provided new insights into the experiences of international students which may influence international education in the long run.

In the immediate aftermath of Indian Independence in 1947, there was a palpable attempt to replace English with Hindi and other Indian languages to unleash the processes of decolonisation. English was castigated as the language of the British Empire and was seen to be the basis of power and privilege for a handful of English-educated elites. A new nation-state thought it imperative to replace English with other languages which ultimately led to language-based reorganisation of Indian states. Subsequently, there was the replacement of English with Indian languages as mediums of instruction at different levels of education. Such a demand was hugely supported by a large number of Indian intelligentsia. However, six to seven decades down the line, there appears to be a reversal of earlier language politics as governments in various states of India are bringing English back as an aspirational language. This article attempts to understand the context of such a reversal. It also analyses ideological constructions of linguistic reality and its hold on popular perception. Ideologically constructed realities of language become a concrete, tangible force to reckon with. The article explores the renewed interest and urgency in learning English, using the frameworks of language ideology and the Bourdieusian framework of 'language as a praxis'. Following Hilary Janks, the article underlines the significance of providing critical access to English by historicising and denaturalising its prevalence as one of the major contact languages at the international level.

In 2017, Rohingya people experienced forced migration from their native land of Myanmar to the neighbouring country of Bangladesh. They fled in massive numbers and took shelter in Cox's Bazar where they now live in a diaspora community. The qualitative study presented in this article aimed to illustrate and analyse the contemporary educational situation of the Rohingya community in Bangladesh, in light of Paulo Freire's and Henry A. Giroux's philosophies. Data were collected using document analysis, focus group discussions with 20 Rohingya community members, and in-depth interviews with three development workers, two Rohingya school teachers and a host country representative. Results were analysed and grouped into themes. The education of Rohingya appears to be in preparation for repatriation to their home country; however, the process and timeline remain uncertain. Meanwhile, their movement in Bangladesh is restricted, and they cannot go outside the refugee camps for any education or training purposes. They remain in a "culture of silence", including a lack of acknowledgement of their opinions and voices. Political hegemony, absence of democracy, structural inequality and the language barrier deprive these Rohingya of access to state education and job opportunities. Cooperation between the Bangladeshi government and international non-governmental organisations could help to empower Rohingya people to develop more awareness about the structural oppression and encourage their emancipation through education.

The present study investigates the perception of experience of depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) among young adults (18-22 years of age) from different locales in India during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The sample included 1,020 participants (603 males and 417 females) with 470 identified talented students (ITS) and 550 nonidentified students (NiS) from Indian villages, towns, and cities. multivariate analysis of variance and ordinal logistic regression analysis were carried out to understand the differences between the various subcategories and the probability of having high negative emotional states among those groups. Results point toward varying levels of DAS depending on whether they were ITS or NiS, whether male or female, and whether they came from Indian villages, towns, or cities. Both similarities and dissimilarities with other studies were observed, and the results provide insights into the effect of the pandemic on the mental health of young adults in India. The importance of developing psychological support systems for all students is implicated in the findings of the study.

This study examines the relationship between antecedents of Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation (IEO) in female students. The study uses locus of control, Machiavellianism, resilience, and mindfulness as independent variables. Data for the study was collected using standardized self-rating questionnaires on 854 female students as a unit of analysis. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (EFA and CFA) have been used to examine the reliability and validity of the measurement. Consequently, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was conducted using Python after validating the measurement model. The final model describes the relationship of Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation with the internal dimension of locus of control together with Machiavellianism, resilience, and mindfulness. All mentioned constructs had a significant positive influence on the dependent variable. Simultaneously, mindfulness was found to have a positive effect on resilience and internal locus of control on Machiavellianism. This study has expanded the dynamic research boundary and resonates with the recent developments in IEO conceptualizations. Moreover, this work is one of the few studies conducted exclusively among female students.

Boys have been identified as the main perpetrators of school violence and bullying, evoking debates on masculinities. However, boys are not always the active producers of violence. This article examines the ways in which primary school boys who otherwise denounce violence explain their participation in it. The data draw from a more extensive qualitative study that focuses on the experiences of school violence among boys at a primary school in KwaZulu-Natal. The study sample comprised a group of thirteen Grade 7 boys. The primary method of data production was through semi-structured individual interviews. The study draws on theories of masculinities that regard them as multiple, fluid and socially constructed. The findings show that although the boys in the study condemned school violence, many could not escape being part of it. As boys, they felt compelled to protect and defend themselves, their families, girls and their friends. In their efforts to resist and mediate violence, they often resorted to violent methods as part and parcel of their masculine constructions. This article argues that it is necessary to focus on boys' perspectives and to shift the focus on violence from problematic individual behaviour to an understanding of the complex social and cultural contexts within which they navigate the everyday world of school. Towards this end, the conflicting implicit and explicit demands on boys sustained through social and institutional structures must be reworked.

A student's academic performance is conditioned on factors within the pupil or outside, in the environment. The Western body of knowledge emphasizes the positive role of "Self" and related variables such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, self-confidence, and others on the academic performance of students. An Indian counterpart to the concept of self is "Aham". The present study aimed at qualitatively understanding the role of Ahamkara in the academic performance of school students. For this purpose, a semi-structured interview technique was utilised for data collection. A total of 11 interviews were recorded and transcribed. Thematic Network analysis framework forwarded by Attride-Sterling (2001) was utilized for data analysis. Based on the analysis 4 global themes emerged. They are: Formation and maintenance of a sense of self through Identification; Active engagement of Self in the learning process leads to growth; Ignorance of Self, a path to failure; and Failure an opportunity to maintain the optimal sense of self.

This study uses Knight's (2004) framework of internationalization in higher education to examine emerging trends involving international students at Canadian public community colleges. The findings show that the provinces' socioeconomic and cultural differences and immigration policies have had a substantial effect on the number of international students on college campuses. The study identified seven important emerging trends within the sector. The findings suggest that an evolving approach to immigrant selection may be contributing to the reconfiguration of the colleges' international student body, which has gone from predominantly Chinese to primarily Indian. Furthermore, the study explores new approaches used to increase the market share of international students, such as campuses exclusively for international students and partnerships with private career colleges. It also provides an analysis of the latest development, namely the shift to online instruction in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study highlights the importance of understanding these trends.

With economies and business becoming knowledge intensive, the role of education industry has immensely risen in significance. This has given rise to a highly competitive landscape in higher education, with faculty retention as a major challenge for the institutions leading to negative consequences in terms of education quality, stakeholder satisfaction and rankings. This paper discusses the factors influencing faculty retention in HEIs in India within the framework of Social Exchange Theory. The sub dimensions of HR climate were explored using Principal Components Analysis. The relative importance of sub dimensions in forming the overall climate was estimated and the effect of HR climate on faculty retention was studied with Organizational Commitment and Organizational Trust as mediators employing a hierarchical components model in the PLS-SEM analysis. The results indicate that HR climate has a significant positive effect on faculty retention through organizational commitment and organizational trust as partial complementary mediators. Findings have significant theoretical as well as practical implications in extending the present knowledge regarding the subdimensions and effect of HR climate on faculty retention and the suggested measures to be taken in implementing effective HR Management systems in the Higher Education Institutions.

As an artist/academic, I discuss my pedagogical interventions in teaching Odissi through studio, theory, and praxis courses to populations across university students and professional artists. Through interdisciplinary research, I work at the confluence of historical and contemporary forces. Casteist, fundamentalist, racist, sexist, ablist, and hierarchical modes of teaching and learning plague Odissi as part of the field popularly known as "Indian classical dance." The appellation of "classical" is itself a byproduct of complex social and cultural forces across Hindu majoritarianism, historical nostalgia, and anti-colonial nationalist resistance. While dance scholars have unpacked this historical complexity to some extent, I apply contemporary trends in performance and pedagogy that have received little scholarly engagement. I ground my work in an ethos of community building creating through lines across the diasporic Indian community and academia. This way of working presents questions of access and ownership as it bumps up against historical entanglements.

This piece informs my journey of thinking and contextualizing the validity of autoethnography as a decolonial qualitative research method in writing center scholarship. This piece provides the lilt of everyday writing center initiatives, labor, and workings using five email exchanges as data depicting my interactions with various writing center stakeholders as a transnational writing center studies student-tutor, administrator, and doctoral student from South Asia, specifically India. This piece also argues how I used my experiences as one of a writing center's personnel as a tool of empowerment in my liminal position in my writing center and elaborates on those experiences, broadening the scope of research trajectories and mediums within writing center scholarship using counternarratives in the existing literature.

The paper explores the historical significance of Hindu College Calcutta, a key institution in colonial India's intellectual discourse. Established in the early 19th century, the college faced numerous challenges, including opposition from conservative factions and financial constraints, as it evolved into a hub for education and independent thought. The study highlights the socio-political context and the necessity of an institution providing contemporary education while preserving traditional Indian values. It focuses on the contributions of intellectuals associated with the college, particularly Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, examining his dynamic influence and his pivotal role in founding the Academic Association. Derozio's teachings and leadership inspired a cohort of students, fostering a culture of free thought and intellectual exploration.

Thomas Babington Macaulay's 1835 minute on Indian education is widely held to be representative of the views which underpinned the English East India Company's replacement of Persian with English as the official language of administration in India in 1837, and the promotion of English and Indian vernacular languages as part of colonial educational policy. Yet, it is often overlooked that Macaulay failed to even mention Persian in his condemnation of "oriental learning", focusing his attention solely on the shortcomings of Sanskrit and Arabic. Macaulay's omission of Persian is telling: despite its centrality to Mughal rule and the political transactions of the East India Company alike, Persian did not fit easily into emergent colonial formulations regarding Indian languages and their relationships with particular locales, ethnicities and religions. Through an examination of colonial discussions regarding Indian education, this article argues that the complicated, often contradictory, status of Persian in educational discourse allowed the language to elude definitive categorisation and to survive in government schools and colleges during the nineteenth century. It further suggests that as multilingual cultures were formalised and reconfigured within the domain of colonial education, the continued presence of Persian alongside vernaculars such as Urdu, Hindi, and Bengali at colonial institutions both shaped -- and disturbed -- their identification as viable modern languages.

Contrary to common assumptions, the vast majority of the world's refugees reside in neighbouring countries in the Global South. This paper explores the complex interaction of global vocational education policies with the local realities of five communities within the under-researched yet highly relevant refugee context of India, across three major cities. It examines whether the stated policy purpose of VET addresses the practical requirements and aspirations of refugees. Drawing on interviews, focus groups, and participatory drawing with 66 respondents from Afghan, Rohingya, Somali, Chin, and Tibetan communities, and staff members from refugee organisations, this paper argues for a move away from the unidimensional goal of economic self-reliance for refugees. By bridging the capabilities approach with intersectionality, the paper calls attention to, and draws policy suggestions for, increment and diversification of VET opportunities to address multiple facets of refugees' lives, and their inclusion in national VET institutions.

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative study was to fill the knowledge gap and to investigate relationships between cultural background and various demographic factors influencing parental involvement behaviors that prompt them to engage in their children's academic activities. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative research method was used to collect data to answer research questions and explore relationships between variables (Fraenkel et al., 2015). The researchers created the survey on Qualtrics and conducted a pilot study to improve the survey based on the recommendations of the pilot study's participants. Some items were reworded suggested by an expert committee to finalize the instrument. This survey mainly consisted of two sections to collect data on participants' demographics and cultural background. The participants used multiple-choice options to answer items pertaining to family demographics. They were asked to use a 5-point Likert scale: very often = 5, often = 4, sometimes = 3, rarely = 2 and never = 1 to respond to survey items regarding cultural background and parental involvement behaviors. Findings: The correlation coefficient showed a statistically significant relationship between parents' expectations, educational level and their involvement behaviors in children's academic achievement. However, parents' income and cultural background had no statistically significant relationships with parental involvement in their children's academic achievement. Research limitations/implications: The results of this study have potentially broad implications for educational leaders, policymakers, educators and parents to develop policies for diverse students to enhance their educational achievements. Originality/value: The researchers reviewed extensive literature and found the gap in regional studies particularly related to one of the fastest-growing, financially stable and highly educated ethnic groups in the country. The researchers developed a brand new instrument on Qualtrics and distributed a survey via online and direct administration to collect primary data from 200 participants.

This article focuses on a Swedish school company and its operations in India, examining how setting up and operating schools in another national place forge particular spatial imaginaries. It contributes to literature on the Global Education Industry by focusing on international moves of commercial non-Anglo-Saxon actors. Drawing on interviews and extensive fieldwork in India, we show how the 'marriage' between the global (represented by the Swedish company) and local (the 'Indian') are manifested in the spatial imaginary of the 'glocal school', encompassing hierarchical otherings rooted in discourses of both globalisation and colonialism.

This study investigates the impact of 24/7 library operations on the health and work-life balance of Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals in India. Using a mixed-method approach with 52 respondents, reveals significant physical and mental health issues, sleep disruptions, and dietary challenges. Qualitative insights highlight personal and professional hurdles, gender disparities, and concerns about workload and safety. The findings underscore the need for tailored support and infrastructure improvements in continuous library settings. The study contributes to understanding the multifaceted challenges faced by LIS professionals and provides recommendations to enhance overall well-being in 24/7 operational environments.

This article contributes to debates about international student mobility and the globalisation of higher education by attending to the caring practices of Indian international students at Australian universities. Drawing on qualitative material produced with postgraduate students, it examines the practical, economic, emotional and social ways they support each other throughout their educational sojourns. The main argument is that Indian international students develop critical modes of supporting each other that make international study possible. These caring practices highlight the need to move beyond approaches that cast international students as neoliberal subjects or as a vulnerable group in need of intervention. They also unsettle the tendency to cast the higher educational landscape as strictly neoliberal. They highlight instead the importance of notions such as mutuality and reciprocity among the international student cohort, at the same time as they suggest the production of logics in higher education that cannot strictly be defined as neoliberal.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the relationship between intrinsic motivators and the transfer of knowledge/skills gained during training to work. The intrinsic motivators considered for the study were self-efficacy and motivation to transfer the training knowledge. The study also examined how work conditions mediate the association of intrinsic motivators and training transfer. The working conditions considered in the study were autonomy and the opportunity to perform in the job. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 426 participants from microfinance institutions in Karnataka, India, who had received a three-week job training six months earlier. Data were collected using a questionnaire and structural equation modelling was performed for the analysis of the data. Findings: The study found positive significant relationships between motivation motivators and training transfer of learning. Positive relationships were also seen between work conditions and training transfer of learning acquired via training. The study also established the role of intrinsic motivators in predicting training transfer through work conditions. Originality/value: This study stands among the pioneering works to investigate the influence of intrinsic motivators on training transfer, while also examining the mediating role of work conditions. It focuses on an emerging economy, specifically India, thereby contributing valuable insights to the field.

We report process evaluation findings from the 'SMART Eating' intervention trial, which significantly improved fat, sugar and salt (FSS), and fruits and vegetables (FVs) intake among adults. Intervention used information technology [short message service (SMS), WhatsApp and website] and interpersonal communication (distribution of SMART Eating kit) and pamphlet for comparison group. Guided by UK Medical Research Council's framework, using embedded mixed-methods design, continuous process evaluation documented fidelity, dose, reach, acceptability and mechanisms. Intervention was implemented as intended, with high reach (91%) in both groups: 'comparison group' (n = 366): inadequate use of pamphlets (46%); 'intervention group' (n = 366): with timely remedial measures to remove implementation/usage barriers, dose of SMS (93%), WhatsApp (89%) and 'SMART Eating' kit (100%) was adequate, but website usage was low (50%); compliance was evident from participants' interactions with the implementor and observations on kit usage. All these might have improved attitude, social influence, self-efficacy and household behaviours, which, in turn, mediated intervention's effect on improving FSS and FV intake. Among poor performers, lack of effect on FV intake was perceived to be related to high cost/pesticides use and FSS intake was related to lack of family support. Low website usage, challenges with WhatsApp messaging and contextual factors (cost, pesticides abuse and family support) need to be considered while designing similar future interventions.

Project-Based Learning (PBL) is inherently creative. But little is known about children's process of creativity during a PBL experience or how PBL supports the creative process. This qualitative study explores 14 Indian schoolchildren's creative journey during a book-authoring PBL program. Transcripts for the structured interviews, assignments, driving questions, and journals were analyzed for patterns inductively and codified for themes. Results show that PBL provided the framework for children's creative behavior. Children's creative process was a cycle between ideating, shaping a story, reviewing, and rework with elements of "jugaad." Emotion played a key role in the creative process. Metacognition played a dual role in both helping to shape the storybooks and children's self-beliefs and added to their motivation. Children's self-concept as authors and self-efficacious beliefs in the powerful impact of their storybooks motivated them through an extremely challenging project. The significance of the research is threefold. First, it explores Indian children's creative process, which is extremely under-researched. Second, it explores the role of creative metacognition in the creative process. Most importantly, it highlights PBL as a way for creating learning conditions to foster creativity.

In 'Literature and Life', Deleuze remarks that all literature manifests as delirium, and, as such, the destiny of literature is to play itself out between two poles that create and reflect life back to itself: what the human desires, and the constant changes life imposes onto us. Taking Deleuze's statement as a point of departure concerning the power of social fiction, this article mobilizes the dystopian imagination as a tool to evaluate what language policies do as they channel human desire to shape linguistic practices. Specifically, this article explores the extent to which the literary dystopian lens can help us plot more desirable futures for multilingualism in education. Through a critical fabulation about India's three-language policy's effects in schools, we bear witness to this language policy's disciplinarian action, which reinforces linguistic hierarchies and territorial disputes present in this nation's history. Indeed, decisions on policies meant to assist linguistically minoritized students have often rested on complicated assumptions about what language means. These assumptions operate under liberal and neoliberal ideologies that commodify and narrow citizens' linguistic choices, thereby framing one's authority over language as something that exists outside the human mind. By approaching India's three-language policy as a futuristically fabulated case study, we reflect on the potentiality of dystopian narratives to function as an analytical method and a critical lens to anticipate ethical problems in language policies' design.

The use of technology for second language (L2) acquisition has become ubiquitous, but little thought has been given to the factors that impact the language learning experience. This study aims to use the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework to propose and validate a more comprehensive model for investigating the influence of "presence" on learners' L2 learning experience using Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL). Data were collected from a sample of language learners (n = 129) studying in the State of Rajasthan, India using an e-questionnaire. To scrutinize the effect of various forms of "presence," descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted. The findings suggest strong, positive, and statistically significant associations exist between the original CoI elements (teaching presence, cognitive presence and social presence), the newly added elements (learning presence, emotional presence, and technological presence), and learning experience. These results confirm the idea that "presence" can hinder and/or enhance L2 learning experiences. No association was found between technical barriers and learning experience. The findings have theoretical and practical implications. The results suggest the value of expanding the CoI framework, scrutinizing the learners' experience, analyzing the influence of "presence," and enriching the application of the technology for language learning. Such results may ensure TELL courses are designed as vigorous learning environs which facilitate language acquisition.

For the South Asian diasporic, questions about (be)longing and identity are almost undeniable. Through a personal reflection, I contour these experiences by way of poetic inquiry, specifically interrogating "performing" Canadian-ness (Alvi, 2020) and the meaning of "home" (Badruddoja, 2006) that are a part of the living pedagogy of immigrant families navigating the "status" of emigration. It is in that intermediary of "straddling cultural divide" (Sharrif, 2008) that words of poetry emerge, tantalizing a processual capitulation of (be)longing and identity formation; that is, the constant trail of navigating the in-between of "here nor there" and the (im)possibilities that this hyphenation offers.

This study explores the experience of high-achieving students of color in an honors program at a large research university. Qualitative methods involve surveying students (n = 39) and interviewing a select group (n = 5) in attempts to measure both the frequency and severity of racial microaggression as well as subjective experience relating to diversity and representation in honors. Using critical race theory, a discourse analysis of four broad questions pertaining to pre-entry, entry, continuation, and exit of honors programs suggests that more is needed to foster an honors community that better understands and meets the needs of students' racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. While several students report nearly withdrawing from honors, citing feelings of racial tokenization, alienation from peers, and impostor phenomenon, the author notes how results elucidate a pressing need for university honors programs to recruit more students from underrepresented backgrounds and provide targeted resources to support honors students and the programs to which they belong.

An increasingly multicultural Aotearoa early childhood education (ECE) landscape forms the context for my doctoral study in progress. My research explores the culturally embedded and negotiated environmental identities of a growing number of migrant Indian teachers. This article documents my experiences of confronting and navigating the unexpected while planning and conducting the data collection for my research. The primary challenges were access to participants as well as participant dropouts. I discuss how I mitigated these challenges by employing an alternate sampling method as well as accounting for participant attrition and trustworthiness of data. The modification strategies highlight flexibility and responsiveness as critical research tools. This article has implications for early career researchers intending to plan or begin their research in the light of any future disruptions, such as the current COVID-19 climate.

In 2019 India was ranked seventh most affected nation by climate change, yet 65 per cent of the Indian population had not heard of climate change. India's revised National Education Policy mentions climate change and environmental issues as part of its work towards reaching the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. However, to date, climate education in India has tended to remain the responsibility of the secondary science teacher in many schools where resources are limited. Following calls for a more holistic and multidisciplinary approach -- where students can link environmental issues with their lives -- we reflect on three arts-based climate education exemplars with students from the East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) (n = 150, 10-17-year-olds). We consider how these frame climate change and sustainable education as a collective learning experience, rather than as scientific concepts alone. We respond to Szczepankiewicz et al.'s model for climate education and propose that teacher training in the EKW context can be conceptualised through a three-stage, interconnected approach to pedagogy: building concepts, learning through hands-on activities and building communities is central. We suggest that these three generalisable tenets of student teacher practice should be explored in other areas of ecological fragility, as well as in spaces of economic insecurity.

Disparities in educational access especially in tribal areas has been one of the grave issues in addressing tribal education. The study aimed to analyse educational access and disparities in school availability in tribal educational zones and stages of school education. The study adopted descriptive survey to understand the demographics and availability of schools; applied self-designed information blank to collect data from educational zones and analysed the data, using tabulation as well as percentage statistics. The study concluded that access to secondary education is limited in district Ganderbal, as the district possess low number of educational institutions (middle, high and higher secondary). Moreover, disparity has been found in educational institutions with respect to tribal dominated educational zones i.e., Hariganwan and Kangan. The tribal dominated educational zones lack access to schooling and possess low number of schools compared to other two educational zones i.e., Ganderbal and Tullamulla having dominant non tribal populations. This study has implications for policy planner to understand the dynamics of school access in tribal areas and increase schooling accessibility by establishing more upper primary and secondary schools especially in remote tribal zones, keeping in mind their topographical, seasonal movement, cultural underpinnings.

The present study was conducted to explore the differential levels of scientific aptitude among the economically disadvantaged students of Jammu and Kashmir. The objectives of the study were to find out of the achievement in the subject science of economically disadvantaged secondary school students and the levels of scientific aptitude of economically disadvantaged secondary school students. The study also aims to compare the achievement in science of economically disadvantaged secondary school students having differential levels of scientific aptitude and the achievement in science of economically disadvantaged secondary school boys and girls having differential levels of scientific aptitude. As such, the study involved purposive sampling and 200 10th standard students of Anantnag district of Jammu & Kashmir. The data were collected with the help of a standardized tool prepared by Dr. Nagappa P. Shahapur and Dr. C. R. Rao in 1971. The study revealed that academic achievement of secondary school students, the boys and that of girls of Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir belonging to differential levels of scientific aptitude differ significantly.

This study examined the influence of teachers' emotional intelligence (EI) on academic achievement and outlined the model with the mediating effect of job satisfaction (JS) between the EI and academic achievement. Survey method was employed to collect the information from 728 secondary school teachers belong to Himachal Pradesh, a state of Northern India, through various statistical tools. The results of the study showed that teachers' emotional abilities were significantly and positively associated with academic achievement of students and showed R[superscript 2] 61% variance in academic achievement. The relationship between EI and academic achievement of students is partially mediated by JS.

Objective: Strategic storytelling can be used to reframe dominant cultural narratives and improve community health outcomes. This pilot study assessed the impact of an original, online 3-week e-course, delivered from November to December 2021, in increasing learners' knowledge of and concern for the seriousness of skin-shade discrimination and the use of skin-lightening products in India, increasing learners' understanding of storytelling-based communication techniques for public health promotion, and increasing learners' intentions to use strategic storytelling for social change. Design, Setting and Method: The course used case-method pedagogy to address colourism and cosmetic skin lightening. Learners (N = 25) completed a pre-course baseline survey on their knowledge and concerns regarding colourism and the use of skin-lightening products, as well as their expectations and interests in taking the course. Following course completion, learners completed a post-webinar survey. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test was used to assess differences from pre- to post-course surveys on quantitative items. Open-ended responses were also analysed using qualitative content analysis for recurring themes on learner interest and experience. Results: From pre- to post-course surveys, there were significant improvements in learners' knowledge of skin shade discrimination and the use of skin-lightening products (p < 0.05). Learners indicated being more concerned about the seriousness of skin shade discrimination post-course compared to pre-course. Learners also described a positive learning experience and indicated that the e-course enhanced their understanding of strategic storytelling. Conclusion: Findings highlight the importance of an original e-course that uses case-method pedagogy to build knowledge and skills that addresses the impacts of colourism on the health of Indian adolescents and provides new directions for future research on health education interventions that aim to tackle colourism.

Language learning strategies (LLS) research began in the mid-1970s with the main idea of individual differences in learning a foreign language focusing primarily on the characteristics of a good language learner. In the literature review, the use of LLS has been reported to have a positive influence on proficiency. The goal of this research is to examine the relationship between the use of strategies in learning Spanish as a foreign language with its language proficiency and to analyse the use of LLS by successful students. The Strategy Inventory for language learning (SILL) questionnaire and two open-ended questions have been used in the present work for analysing the LLS. Further, the researchers used the end-semester grades to quantify proficiency. The study was carried out at two universities imparting Spanish courses at the undergraduate level. The current study is a mixed-method, cross-sectional, non-experimental type within the descriptive correlational framework. Statistical and interpretive analysis was used to examine self-reported learning strategies. The results showed no relation between the uses of self-reported learning strategies and language proficiency. However, there was a moderate relationship between the use of LLS and proficiency of 15 higher proficient students from both the universities. In the end, the research provides limitations and implications of the current study.

India is the second-largest tribal population in the world. However, after the seven decades of independence, the tribal groups are disadvantaged and socially backward from the cycle of growth in many areas such as health, education, employment, and empowerment, and more. Among these, for tribal society, education is an essential requirement. The state and central governments have initiated several programs to educate tribal groups. Many of these programs have achieved only 10 percent of the targets. The vast numbers of tribal peoples are missing their education at various levels. They lag in education due to the high illiteracy rates among the tribal population relative to Scheduled Castes (S.C.s). Hence, the time has come to consider tribal education and inclusive growth seriously. In this context, the comprehensive literature review seeks to provide a contemporary overview of India's current status and challenging issues of tribal education. The paper is purely based on second-hand information from various research studies conducted in India and collected from different government sources. The outcomes are more helpful in implementing schemes that can improve tribal literacy and inclusive growth perspectives.

The present study was carried out to investigate the depression level among the under-graduate students and its comparison gender-wise and stream-wise. The study also explored the differences among male science and male arts students; female science and female art students. The sample of the study consisted of 150 under-graduate students. "Mental Depression Scale" constructed and standardized by Beck was used to assess the depression of undergraduate students of South Kashmir. The findings of the study reveal that stream of study has an effect on the depression of female students not on male students. The data that has been collected by the investigator from the colleges was statistically analyzed by mean, standard deviation and t test.

The study aimed to explore the indigenous language of Gujjar and Bakerwal tribal communities of district Ganderbal of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The design of the study is qualitative in nature. The researcher employs purposive sampling in selecting the sample. The researcher surveyed 81 Gujjar and Bakerwal households and interviewed 22 (19 Male and 3 Female) members of both the communities chosen from villages of Hayan Palpora, Ganwan, Harignawan, Jara Pati, Thune, Syed Basti (Surfraw), Chount Waliwar, and Yechihama of Ganderbal district. The researcher employed semi-structured questionnaire, interview schedule, focused group discussion and observation methods to collect data pertaining to the study. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the collected data. The study concluded that the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities are multi-lingual and, their mother tongue is gojri. Variation in mother tongue with respect to mannerism, tone and symbolic meaning of things has been observed between two communities. In intra community settings, mother tongue primarily used and in inter community settings, they mostly interact in Urdu language. Furthermore, in religious observances, both Arabic and Gojri is used. Gojri language has a close resemblance with Mewari and Urdu languages. The speakers of gojri language are declining as dominant languages like English and Urdu are much preferred in school and other settings. The school going children of both the communities learn and speak these dominant language instead of their own mother tongue that becomes a threat for the survival of the gojri language. The development of content in gojri language and financial support to the writers of gojri literature will be helpful in promoting gojri. The translation of school curriculum in gojri and the inclusion of gojri as a separate language subject besides, the usage of gojri as pedagogical method in educational settings will save the language form extinction.

Looking at the early educational activities of the anti-caste movement in the Western Indian Bombay Presidency (1848-1882), the article sheds light on the diverse, and sometimes contradictory social effects of the colonial encounter. The military defeat of the Maratha Empire, the setting up of colonial educational governance, and the emergence of missionary education had disrupted social and religious certainties. In this moment of crisis, reformers turned to education to intervene in the ongoing social transformation processes. From the perspective of the shudra-atishudra -- the serving, labouring, and untouchable castes, who formed the lowest stratum of Western Indian society -- the new political situation provided a space to challenge the established structures of caste and gender domination. The article starts with a discussion of colonial-governmental and missionary educational interventions, and proceeds to analyse anti-caste radicals' educational activities against this background. Schools, popular literature, and public performance aimed to create a reflexive knowledge among the "shudra-atishudra" about their own position in society, and the ways to change it. Finally, the article explores the anti-caste movement's varying interpretations of the changes in education and society. While anti-caste writers of the 1850s welcomed the new educational opportunities, their voices were highly critical of colonial education policy in the 1880s. In the nineteenth century's struggles over caste, gender, and education, privileges and exclusions had been reworked in a colonial-modern framework. Still, important steps had been taken towards democratising and universalising Indian education.

Recent studies indicate the hardship of the current education system in endowing students with appropriate skills to understand and critically view information. Indian studies have similarly criticized the Indian education system for failing to help students learn and comprehend the school curriculum. Indian logic critically enquires the validity of knowledge based on proof and allows one to objectively arrive at a conclusion -- reflecting essential critical thinking abilities that are missing in the contemporary education scenario. Hence, the current research attempts to study the limitations of the education system and to explore the significance of introducing Indian logic to ameliorate its distressing condition. The present research adopts a grounded theory approach while employing the method of secondary analysis of qualitative data. It helps identify the salient reasons for the qualitative decline of the existing education system and of those constructs rooted in Indian tradition which may help in resolving the same.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges the author had encountered and the counter-strategies she had adopted to overcome them while conducting ethnography for the first time during her doctoral research. In this paper, the author hopes to provide guidance for future researchers by discussing the role she played in her research, the experiences she gained as a result of it, the difficulties she faced and the strategies she employed to overcome these difficulties. Design/methodology/approach: Following the social constructionist perspective, this paper analyses the experience that the author had gained during her field study. As a novice researcher, the author entered the field to study the relationship between caste and occupational mobility. The caste that she had selected was the Kansari caste to which the author belongs. Therefore, her position as a researcher while conducting ethnography became a crucial part of the methodological challenges the author faced. While insider ethnography has its advantages and disadvantages, this paper does not discuss these aspects of the methodology. Instead, it discusses how, as a novice researcher, the author had to negotiate her position as an insider and outsider. Findings: While analysing her experience as a novice researcher, the author found that her journey of conducting insider ethnography was of rediscovering herself as a Kansari as well as a researcher. Through this research, the author found that as an insider ethnographer, certain strategies had to be adopted in the field by the researcher to be objective and unbiased throughout the research process. For example, whenever the author conducted an interview, she tried to try to say less, listen more and be as objective as possible, without allowing her preconceptions to influence the information she gathered from the field. Originality/value: This is an original paper based on the primary data collected by the author.

This study draws on ethnographic research from three co-ethnic community-based, arts programs serving immigrant youth to examine the ways in which immigrant educators serve as "curriculum texts" for youth. It illustrates the curricular nature of the experiences, being and interactions of immigrant educators who share with youth the same racialized ethnic backgrounds, languages, and cultural heritage. It significantly contributes to the re-imagining of the possibilities for education across formal and non-formal settings, and the re-valuing of the work of co-ethnic community-based organizations and their immigrant staff. Against the backdrop of a paucity of teachers of color, exploring the curricular contributions of minoritized educators in out-of-school contexts is critical for understanding significance of minoritized educators for advancing culturally relevant pedagogy.