Literacy Research in Indian Languages (LiRIL): Research report of a Study of Literacy Acquisition in Kannada and Marathi (2013-2016)

The need for longitudinal studies of early literacy in Indian contexts, especially in contexts of social and economic disadvantage, emerged as a strong theme during discussions at the national consultation on Early Literacy sponsored by Tata Trusts (Tata Trusts, New Delhi, April, 2011). Shortly thereafter, it was decided that Tata Trusts, in collaboration with two Tata Trusts partners and Dr. Shailaja Menon (of Azim Premji University), would undertake a longitudinal project on early literacy in Indian languages. Piloting for the project began immediately thereafter and continued over the next two years (2011-2013). The longitudinal data collection for the project began in September, 2013 in collaboration with two Tata Trusts partners, QUEST (Wada, Maharashtra) and Kalike (Yadgir, Karnataka), and continued until March 2016. To arrive at an in-depth, progressive understanding, it was decided that this project would track a cohort of students as they moved from Grades 1-3. Analyses from the three years of data collection are ongoing. Rather than being a single study, LiRIL, with its focus on the aforementioned five areas, is an umbrella project answering multiple research questions. LiRIL’s work has focused on economically disadvantaged districts because we have a deep interest in understanding these contexts, in the hopes of eventually designing relevant interventions for those who most need it. The learnings from the project, therefore, may not be generalizable to the overall population of these states; nevertheless, they provide focused points of insight and input into the strengths and challenges of language teaching in disadvantaged districts within the states

Powerful reforms in early language and literacy instruction in India

Shailaja Menon and others acknowledge that India’s national literacy rate has gone up significantly since it gained independence in 1947, but make the case that deeply entrenched cultural beliefs and practices surrounding language and literacy, as well as their related curricula and pedagogy, remain unchanged in many Indian classrooms. They then suggest ways in which India could overcome these beliefs and practices

Literacy Research in Indian Languages (LiRIL): Research report of a Study of Literacy Acquisition in Kannada and Marathi (2013-2016)

The need for longitudinal studies of early literacy in Indian contexts, especially in contexts of social and economic disadvantage, emerged as a strong theme during discussions at the national consultation on Early Literacy sponsored by Tata Trusts (Tata Trusts, New Delhi, April, 2011). Shortly thereafter, it was decided that Tata Trusts, in collaboration with two Tata Trusts partners and Dr. Shailaja Menon (of Azim Premji University), would undertake a longitudinal project on early literacy in Indian languages. Piloting for the project began immediately thereafter and continued over the next two years (2011-2013). The longitudinal data collection for the project began in September, 2013 in collaboration with two Tata Trusts partners, QUEST (Wada, Maharashtra) and Kalike (Yadgir, Karnataka), and continued until March 2016. To arrive at an in-depth, progressive understanding, it was decided that this project would track a cohort of students as they moved from Grades 1-3. Analyses from the three years of data collection are ongoing. Rather than being a single study, LiRIL, with its focus on the aforementioned five areas, is an umbrella project answering multiple research questions. LiRIL’s work has focused on economically disadvantaged districts because we have a deep interest in understanding these contexts, in the hopes of eventually designing relevant interventions for those who most need it. The learnings from the project, therefore, may not be generalizable to the overall population of these states; nevertheless, they provide focused points of insight and input into the strengths and challenges of language teaching in disadvantaged districts within the states