Differently Literate: Vernacular Medium Learners and the Teaching of English in Telangana
Nittala Noel Anurag Prashanth
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design & Manufacturing, Kurnool
This book makes a case for “differently literate” vernacular medium (VM) learners in the context of Telangana State (TS), India. It argues that learners are differently literate and bring different skill sets into a classroom. This, the book contends, may be considered as an advantage rather than a hindrance in the teaching-learning environment. Using the context of VM learners in select schools of TS, it claims that the concept of “differently literate” allows the teaching-learning of English to begin from a more constructive starting point, rather than viewing them as weak or poor in English proficiency. Such a perspective, the book suggests, may help teachers and policymakers to improve the teaching methodology of English. The book accomplishes this through an exploratory study of English language learners from English medium (EM) and VM high schools in TS. All these factors—influences, attitudes, aspirations, motivation levels—that impact the skill levels, learning strategies, etc. that learners bring to the classroom make them, it is argued, “differently literate”.
The book is divided into 5 chapters, Chapter one presents the introduction locates the context of the research in terms of a brief history of language education in the state of TS, particularly English. Chapter Two establishes the theoretical framework for the study. Chapter Three puts forward the rationale of the study, its nature and design. Chapter Four describes the methods of data analysis and interpretation. Chapter Five presents a summary of the findings.
ISBN 9783969391570. LINCOM Studies in Second Language Teaching 28. 212pp. 2023.