Browsing by Author "Podder, Ranjit"

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Challenges of Communicative English Teaching at Secondary Level in Bangladesh: A Study on Narsingdi District
(University of Rajshahi, 2007) Podder, Ranjit; Islam, M. Jahurul
The present research is an attempt to study the status and challenges of communicative English teaching at the secondary level of education in Bangladesh and to suggest some ways out. Though the study is based on the status and challenges of communicative English teaching in Bangladesh, in the course of the study the researcher has tried to identify needs of practicing English teachers as well as of schools. The first chapter clarifies the issues of the research and its background, and formulates research questions and objectives. Scope, limitations and utility of the present research have been stated here. Available literature has been reviewed here to identify research questions and to rationalize the study. Different language learning theories and comments by linguists about CL T have been placed here with a view to making a basis for the present study. This study deals with the introduction and use of CL T at the secondary level of education in Bangladesh. So the emergence of CL T and its background have been discussed briefly in chapter two. CL T was introduced in Bangladesh in the mid nineties of the last century. Almost all the language teaching methods and approaches - old and modem - have been briefly discussed here to make the background and idea of CL T clear to readers. Nature of CL T, expected teacherstudent roles in communicative English classes, and their behaviours have been discussed here. The third chapter discusses the research methods and the data sources required for this study. Primary data have been collected from respondents through Questionnaire Survey, face-to-face Interview, and Observations. And secondary data have been collected through document analysis from different books, journals, websites and so on. Sample size was 228 (Students: 200, English teachers: 20, Head and Assistant Head teachers: 08) and random sampling procedure is used to select study respondents from students, and all English teachers, head teachers and assistant head teachers are selected from each study school. Considerations for designing students' and teachers' questionnaires, constructions of checklists for observation of classroom facilities and classroom interactions, administering the questionnaire surveys and interviews, observing classroom facilities and classroom teaching are discussed in this chapter. The data obtained from the primary sources have been analyzed and presented in the fourth chapter. Collected data have been presented in three ways. Some have been put into tables, and some have been presented in bar-diagrams and pie charts. Qualitative data have been described in view of the set objectives. Chapter five discusses the challenges of implementing CL T curriculum at the secondary level of education in Bangladesh. Teacher education ( degree/diploma in education), training of English teachers, their dedication, motivation, use of teaching materials and teaching aids, before-class preparation, classroom practices, language speaking environment and so on have been discussed in this chapter. Students' motivation and flaws in assessment system have also been discussed here. Conclusions have been drawn in chapter six on the basis of the findings of the study. In the light of the challenges found in the study, suggestions have been made for practicing English teachers as well as policy makers. Some hints for further study have been added for future researchers of this field.
Teaching and Assessment of English Reading Skill at Secondary Level in Bangladesh: Practices and Challenges
(©University of Dhaka, 2021-11-18) Podder, Ranjit
This qualitative study tried to explore Bangladeshi secondary English teachers‘ and students‘ understanding of English reading skill; strategies secondary English teachers employed to teach and assess English reading skill; resources used in teaching and assessment; English reading skill assessment practices in schools; barriers teachers faced in teaching and assessing reading; and the possible ways to improve the teaching and assessment in schools. The study employed semi-structured interviews with four English teachers from two secondary schools in Dhaka city; observed five teaching sessions of each of the four teachers for long 11 months from January to November in 2017; organised Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with 40 students in four equal groups. 10 learners in each group were selected through lottery from grades IX and X of the selected schools. Additionally, documents such as the National Curriculum (NCTB, 2012a); English for Today (NCTB, 2012b); English Grammar and Composition (NCTB, 2016); Sample Test prepared by NCTB (Appendix 8); Guidelines for the Test Setters and Markers for English (Appendix 10); a test (question paper) used in a half-yearly examination of a school (Appendix 9) were analysed. One Curriculum Specialist from the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) and a teacher educator from a Govt. Teachers‘ Training College, Bangladesh were also interviewed with a semi-structured interview schedule (Appendix 7). The data collected through interviews, observations, and FGDs were transcribed, coded, and then categorised based on the major themes emerged during data analysis. During transcribing, coding, and categorising of the data, findings of the study emerged. The major findings of the study included teachers and students did nothave clear understanding of English reading skill; English reading teaching was influenced by GTM, not by the NCTB-suggested three stages; teachers did not comply with the curriculum guidelines regarding continuous assessment (CA) or assessment for learning (AfL) and they partly followed the guidelines regarding assessment of learning (AoL) or summative assessment; teachers used commercially produced materials to teach English reading skill instead of the NCTB-prepared materials; the major challenges faced by teachers in teaching of reading included teachers‘ lack of understanding, large classes, workload, short time allotted for each period, and students‘ lack of interest in reading. Regarding assessment of reading, like other countries (Balfakeh, 2009; Marland, 2003), the Bangladeshi teachers, too, had wrong conception of assessment. Moreover, the inclusion of seen passages; insufficient training of teachers; and lack of monitoring and supervision from the education authority were some of the challenges. The identified challenges can be minimised through organising rigorous training for teachers in teaching and assessment of reading, large class management, and through introducing monitoring followed by constructive feedback.