Understanding Context Through Country Case Studies

• In Event: Developing a Profile of Teachers of Marginalized Children in Developing Countries: Results of a Cross-National Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

Guided by the patterns observed in the secondary data analysis, we focused on three countries—India, Mexico, and Tanzania—to inform our regional understanding of teachers of marginalized children. The country selection is based on the salience of teacher-related policies in each country. India is a fast-growing yet unequal country that has greatly increased its reliance on contract teachers in recent years. Studies have shown that teacher absenteeism is a serious problem in rural Indian schools. Mexico has large urban-rural educational inequalities and great variability in teacher hiring and assignment policies across states. Previous research has identified cross-state differences in marginalized children’s access to effective teachers, but little research has examined the causes of these differences. Tanzania has struggled in allocating teachers to remote areas. Several efforts are in place to address this problem, but the outcomes of these efforts are not yet well understood.
Our case study work began with a review of teacher-related information, followed by 25 to 30 interviews with officials and stakeholders in each country. We focused on two to four specific regions in each country, which were identified through a review of the country’s education system. Our interviews used semi-structured protocols to probe issues of teacher hiring, retention, and retirement, with a focus on teachers of marginalized children. We referred to our original conceptual framework to identify key themes and codes. In addition, we identified themes that emerged from our presence in the field, our observations, and our conversations with the informants. Our case study research was approved by the human subjects review boards at our institutions and we followed all requirements to protect human subjects in our research.
The case studies revealed patterns to support evidence from the quantitative analysis that the teachers of marginalized children in developing countries have consistently less experience, education, and training than teachers of other children. New teachers are commonly hired and assigned to remote rural locations, leaving schools in such areas with the least experienced teachers. As these teachers gain experience, they often request transfers to schools in more desirable locations, leading to a constant churn of teachers in the most marginalized areas. Although these patterns are fairly consistent across our study countries, we did find some differences. For example, due to the vast Indian geography and population, policies and practices varied tremendously across the study states of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. In Mexico, concerns with teacher quality are particularly acute for indigenous children, as teachers of these children are often less qualified than other teachers. In Tanzania, which has a more centralized unitary system than India and Mexico, central education officials can, in theory, ensure a more equitable distribution of teachers across regions and schools. Yet as in the other countries, we found that teachers of marginalized children are often younger than other teachers. In contrast to India and Mexico, these teachers do not necessarily have lower educational qualifications than other teachers.

Authors

• Thomas F. Luschei, Claremont Graduate University

• Amita Chudgar, Michigan State University

• Giselle Emilia Navarro, Claremont University - Claremont Graduate University

• James Pippin, Michigan State University