Browsing by Author "Khan, Harunur Rashid"

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A comparative study on the current and previous 'English book' for grade six: NCTB curriculum context
(BRAC University, 2024-06) Paul, Anindita; Khan, Harunur Rashid
The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) idealises students' contribution to the national educational setting while preparing them for the competitive world. The present curriculum of Bangladesh, particularly in the lower secondary section (classes 6 & 7), offers a new approach that reflects extensive academic experiences, purpose, content, technological advancement, collaborations of learning alignment, assessment, etc. This qualitative research aims to identify the efficacy of the new curriculum irrespective of the divergent activities of class six English textbooks compared with the previous one. A qualitative context provides a glimpse of the different factors, for example, teachers’ and learners’ prior and present knowledge of the curriculum, subject knowledge, teaching learning approach suggested in the curriculum, and a textual analysis of the textbooks, while incorporating Lev Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) theory (1962), Task-Based Language Teaching (1987) and connecting it to Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis (1980), Input Hypothesis Framework (1980), and finally David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory (1984). By analysing data from three government school teachers, four students, one teacher trained under the new curriculum, two textbook writers of class 6, the textual analysis has been facilitated to determine how the academic developments align with the new curriculum's holistic approaches, ensuring academic English language skills, emphasising the SDG & 21st-century experiential learning considering and incorporating specific scaffolding strategies, this comparative study between the previous and current NCTB curricula has finally offered some recommendations for further curriculum development in Bangladesh by shedding lights on the significant findings from textual analysis and interview so far the EFL practice in Bangladesh is concerned.
English communication challenges faced by Bengali medium students in a private university of Bangladesh
(BRAC University, 2024-02) Saha, Puja; Khan, Harunur Rashid
It is high time to realize the potential of the Bengali medium students who lose their confidence just after entering into tertiary level. This research has been conducted to show the conditions of Bengali medium students studying at the tertiary level in Bangladesh. Though we are emotionally attached to our mother tongue Bengali, we cannot deny the importance of English in the present era. In Bangladesh, the popularity of English in academic and professional domains is on the rise. This research has been conducted using mixed methods. To have relevant data, the researcher took the help of 5 teachers and 14 students. Different theories have been used to show the connection between theories and real-life practice in English. Sufficient reasons have been discussed in this paper along with providing solutions to deal with the challenges students at the tertiary level face while communicating in English. Moreover, recommendations have been provided through which the condition of teaching and learning English at the tertiary level can be more effective in making students competent in communication skills.
Exploring educational priorities in post-pandemic era: tertiary level EFL context of Bangladesh
(BRAC University, 2023-10) Das, Shaikat; Khan, Harunur Rashid
An educational priority in a curricular approach to education is an idealistic assertion that defines what students will learn due to participating in educational opportunities provided by an institution or division at a particular college or university (What Is Educational Priority | IGI Global, n.d.). There is no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic has created the necessity of many educational priorities (beyond traditional teaching-learning practices) at different levels of education, which can play a significant role in ELT pedagogy in the present time. Therefore, this study follows a qualitative approach where I conducted semi-structured interviews with 6 tertiary-level EFL teachers from 5 private universities and 4 TESOL students from 2 private universities in Bangladesh, to determine the extent those institutions have incorporated the post-pandemic educational priorities, mainly digital resources, empathy, mental well-being, blended classrooms, alternative assessments, 21st-century education and skills, SDG (Sustainable Development Goals), and benignant usage of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in ELT. I analyzed the interview data through a thematic analysis while considering the participants' beliefs, attitudes, insights, and experiences. Finally, this research has explored all these priorities and provided pertinent recommendations on incorporating such priorities for further development of the Bangladeshi EFL context.
Exploring the reasons behind the poor listening ability in EFL content of the secondary level students
(BRAC University, 2022-11) Hasib, Sajia; Khan, Harunur Rashid
This study examines secondary school students' listening skills in EFL contexts. This paper determines the reasons behind students' poor listening abilities. Listening is an essential skill for instructors because the majority of them work in ESL/EFL contexts. The mixed-method approach was used for this study. To collect data, two sets of questionnaires have been created for both teachers and students. To assess the qualitative data, content analysis was used. Statistics, analysis of numerical data, and questionnaires all used quantitative methods. The triangulation method was used for the paper, which brings quantitative and qualitative methods. For data collection 5 professors and 36 students were used. The research has challenges that are tough for students to understand. Fast speaking causes me to miss the text's content, as does using unfamiliar words or pronouncing them incorrectly, and students begin to depend more on their English textbooks. Teachers may be able to help students improve their listening comprehension skills by using the students' listening comprehension issues. The chapter will conclude with a few suggestions for improving listening skills practice at the secondary level, both for students and teachers.
Parents’ support for and their influence on children’s English learning at home
(BRAC University, 2022) Afrin, Shadia; Khan, Harunur Rashid
The study examined the influences of parental involvement that led to their children's English learning achievement. To summarize the parental support given to children, parents were asked to fill out a questionnaire to find out the factors that help students learn better with or without the support of their parents. Interviews were conducted virtually to discuss the questionnaires further. The results revealed that majority of the parents help their child/children with school work and learn English whenever they get the chance. Parents agree that English is a foreign language that should be practiced at home as well in order to give their children a better future. Parents now are more aware of the issues around the world and are trying to mold their children accordingly. They are motivated to participate in their children’s learning to make an enhanced future for their children.
Problems of Oral Communication in English among Bangladeshi Students
(East West University, 1/1/2007) Khan, Harunur Rashid
In the mainstream ;institutional contexts of Bangladesh, students do not have much scope to practice English outside their classrooms. The lessons they have in the classes are not enough or help them speak English effectively. Although English is a compulsory, subject from the primary to the higher secondary level of education, students are not sufficiently exposed or opportunities for speaking English. As a result, many students do not possess adequate oral communication skills in English. In the cu.rent competitive job market, communication skill is an imperative for any good career both in national and international servings. k is generally assumed that shyness, pronunciation difficult, inadequate knowledge of grammar and inappropriate use of vocabulary items badly affect learners' oral communication. The present study aims at spotting different kinds of problems of spoken. English of Bangladeshi students with a view to suggesting some possible wales and nears or overcome then.
Role of primary school teachers in achieving quality education (SDG 4) in rural Bangladesh
(BRAC University, 2025-07) Sultana, Sharin; Khan, Harunur Rashid
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer a framework for tackling important global issues. Among all the goals, SDG 4 deals with quality education for all. However, achieving quality education for all is challenging in developing countries like Bangladesh, especially in rural areas. Teachers in rural Bangladesh often face challenges due to a lack of resources and proper training. It is vital to understand how important primary school teachers are to quality education, especially as primary education is an inalienable right to all. Providing ‘equitable’ and ‘inclusive quality education’ in rural areas is more challenging than in urban areas. This study investigates the perceptions of rural primary school teachers in the context of Bangladesh regarding their roles in relation to the strategies they undertake to maintain the quality of education and the impacts of their involvement in teachers' training programs on their practices towards the targets set by SDG 4. This study followed the qualitative research method, where a Semi-Structured interview was conducted. In this study, eight primary school teachers participated to share their insights. The data was analyzed thematically to explore teachers’ perceptions of their role in achieving SDG 4, the strategies they used in their classroom, the challenges they faced, and their professional development. This investigation is expected to provide important insights into how rural primary school teachers in Bangladesh critically understand their roles in relation to SDG 4. Furthermore, this study also reveals some specific ways teachers have resorted to in response to offering quality education for their students. The paper also analyses the effect of teacher training on the quality of education at primary level. This study reveals that the rural primary school teachers considered themselves key contributors to achieving quality education. However, they face several challenges due to a lack of resources and training. The study also provides insights that can inform policymakers and educational stakeholders on supporting teachers in resource-constrained rural settings.
Students’ Mistakes and Errors in English Writing: Implications for Pedagogy
(East West University, 1/1/2011) Khan, Harunur Rashid; Akter, Md. Zahid
English writing in our academic setting has always been recognized as a certifying skill as students have to sit for examination and prove their competence by writing properly. However, the common tension affects each learner and teacher that the standard of English writing is declining as far as independent writing of students is concerned. English has been a compulsory subject from grade 1-12 with further emphasis on various skills at the undergraduate level that does not even guarantee any reasonable achievement in writing for majority of the students. The current study aimed at looking at a general standard of paragraph writing focusing on a very simple topic which is commonly practiced in the junior secondary level. For the study, 300 sample writings were collected from tertiary level students of 10 different institutions of the country. The findings reveal rather a bleak picture of student writing showing serious weaknesses in several areas from spelling mistakes as the highest number (n-573) to pronoun (n-19). In addition, sentence level mistakes also indicate a poor command of syntactic accuracy. Therefore, from this study, word and sentence level mistakes appear to be quite alarming underpinning innovative means of teaching to improve current state of student writing in English at their primary and secondary level. This issue equally deserves to be incorporated in various ELT training and pedagogic discourse so that teacher and learner awareness can be raised for effective classroom teaching and learning.
Teaching-learning effect of transformational leadership in the ELT classroom: An exploratory study
(BRAC University, 2023-01) Smita, Sadia Tabassum; Khan, Harunur Rashid
This mixed method research explores on Bangladesh’s teaching and learning effect of transformational leadership in ELT Classroom in private universities. In today’s world, the emerging ELT trend is to facilitate learning-centred classrooms through focusing more on students cantered activities than teaching or deliver lectures only. Therefore, an English teacher or instructor plays a facilitator’s role in ELT classroom. Furthermore, in a second language learning classroom, it is important to facilitate learning with learner-centred activities. A teacher can follow any ELT leadership approach into teaching-learning process of his/her ELT classroom. It is important that leadership styles are not only applied to organizations but are also effective for classroom management. Hence, the purpose of this study is to examine the transformational leadership qualities of teachers in the English language classroom setting if that have any relationship with students learning, performance, and development in the classroom. Participants are total 35 graduate students in the English language department of a university in Bangladesh who reported on their instructors’ leadership style and how it helped their learning, performance, and overall development
The effective role of language treachers in the psychological well-being of Bangladeshi undergraduate EFL students
(BRAC University, 2025-02) Goswami, Banasree; Khan, Harunur Rashid
Improving the quality of education has recently drawn a lot of attention from scholars who see the mental and academic well-being of language learners as crucial components. In Bangladesh, however, there is a lack of substantial research on the subject. In order to bridge this gap, the present investigation looks into how teachers can support students in overcoming psychological challenges and how psychological health affects learning. This study employed a mixed-methods design that included both qualitative (interviews) and quantitative (questionnaire) data in order to accomplish the specific aims. The findings reveal that teachers' empathetic communication, constructive feedback, and culturally appropriate pedagogical approaches substantially improve learners' sense of autonomy, purpose, and self-acceptance—all crucial components of psychological well-being. This study emphasizes how crucial language instructors are not only as facilitators of linguistic skills but also as key contributors to learners’ holistic development. Teachers can foster an environment that is more favorable for academic success by responding to the psychological needs of their students. The findings indicate that specialized teacher training programs should provide educators with techniques to assist students' academic progress as well as their well-being.