Mother tongues and other tongues: What do we know about how to design and implement language of instruction practices and policies?

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

The low levels of learning in foundational skills in schools across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in marginalized communities, have been described as a learning crisis. Less than half of all children in such contexts, and in some countries, less than 20% of children, are able to read a simple story by the time they are 10 years old. All learning in schools occurs through language, which, particularly among linguistic minorities and in postcolonial societies, is wrought with sociocultural and political tension when international languages such as English and French are often promoted. Yet, it is no surprise that a child will learn only in a language they use and understand. Indeed, recent reviews of evidence on learning in LMICs have underscored that instruction in a child’s mother tongue or familiar language is one of the most significant inputs for consistent learning gains across a variety of programs and contexts. A few recent systematic reviews highlight the importance of instruction in the mother tongue (referred to as MT henceforth), or a language the child speaks and understands well, for quality learning outcomes in LMICs. The advantages include increased attendance in school, cost-effectiveness, higher likelihood of girls and minorities staying in school, and better learning achievement scores through middle school. Furthermore, studies have shown that curricula that are linguistically and culturally sensitive correspond with sociocultural and economic development, higher student self-confidence, and greater parental involvement.

Despite this evidence, an estimated 37% of students in LMICs are still not taught in the language they best understand. This has wide-ranging educational, social, economic, and political consequences. Few countries have been able to successfully systematize bilingual and plurilingual education systems for the following reasons. First, there is significant demand for literacy acquisition in post-colonial languages, given the proven link between socioeconomic mobility and proficiency in post-colonial languages. This leads to growing tension—and the need for empirical reconciliation—between teaching children in their MT for as long as possible and the demand for introducing a post-colonial language, such as English or French, sooner. Second, there is a lack of teachers trained to teach MTs, and to teach specifically to plurilingual students. Third, there is a lack of materials and curricula that go hand in hand with multilingual education policies. Fourth, the existence of mixed-language classrooms, especially in urban areas, makes it difficult to select which MT should be taught. Finally, linked to all these reasons, there is a lack of political will to implement MT education programs, even when resources may be available. Political will to implement MT education programming is often lacking due to influences by various social forces that affect both policy design and implementation. Parents, politicians, and educators may wish to prioritize certain languages, or value them in different ways, depending on how languages are valued in the context and the purposes of education that are most salient, and these factors are likely to influence how and the degree to which policies are designed, supported, and implemented, and thus their relative success. With these challenges, there is still much work to be done to realize effective first language instruction and effective approaches to transition to a second language, particularly in consideration of the complex social, cultural, economic, and political factors that affect language-learning policy and practice.

In this panel, we will explore research about how to successfully design and implement language of instruction policy and practice. This panel ties closely to the CIES 2022 central concepts of Battling the Currents, Orbits Aligned, and Beyond the Horizon. Our deep dive into MT education aims to highlight the role of policies and politics on language of instruction with a focus on marginalized and minoritized communities and their mother tongues. In our analyses, we will also discuss how the decolonial movement plays into this shift from the post-colonial language to the local languages. Moreover, the comparative approaches that we employ will highlight educational innovations from LMICs that have proven to be effective and can be used as a basis for policy decisions in other contexts. Finally, our policy- and practice-oriented research seeks to realize the ideals for student learning and advocate for an educational future that speaks for all, including linguistic minorities and postcolonial countries.

In one presentation, we will discuss a systematic review and meta-analysis on the role of LOI choices in education programs and policies on literacy outcomes in multilingual educational contexts in LMICs. In this study, we gathered, organized, and synthesized the evidence from 31 quantitative and 8 qualitative experimental and quasi-experimental studies on the specific role of different LOI choices. We will discuss our findings in terms of the impact of different LOI models on various on literacy and biliteracy outcomes.

In another presentation, we will explore whether there is a difference in the threshold of cross-linguistic decoding transfer for speakers whose MT is the same as the primary medium of instruction in school versus for those who it is not. We will present the findings of data collected from students in nine low-income settings in Karnataka, India through a battery of literacy skills in both the MT and English. We will discuss the implications of this study for classroom-based assessments and biliteracy teaching in multilingual India.

In a third presentation, we will discuss a mixed-method, participatory study to strengthen bilingual and multilingual learning systems in francophone Africa, specifically Cote d’Ivoire, DRC, and Senegal. We will build on a stakeholder engagement process, a large-scale student assessment, and interviews with teachers, students, parents, and school administrators to explore how and when to use local and regional languages as mediums of instruction and corresponding macro-sociolinguistic factors.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chair

• Pooja Nakamura, American Institutes for Research

Individual Presentations

• Language Transitioning Evidence Synthesis - Adria Molotsky, American Institutes for Research; Yasmina Eugenia Haddad, American Institutes for Research

• Heterogeneous impacts of language transfer thresholds: Evidence from India - Pooja Nakamura, American Institutes for Research

• Mixed methods, participatory research to strengthen bilingual and multilingual learning systems in francophone Africa - Anna McKenzie Warren, American Institutes for Research; Adria Molotsky, American Institutes for Research