Dr Tayyaba Tamim (PhD Cambridge UK), Associate Professor Lahore School of Economics

1. Dr TayyabaTamim (PhD Cambridge UK), Associate Professor Lahore School of Economics Languages in Education: A Three dimensional comparative analysis of private and government schools in Pakistan

2. Background • A) Poor learning outcomes and b) difference between private and government schools (LEAPS & ASER) • What could possibly account for these differences ? (two ways)

3. Theoretical underpinnings • ‘Transformative education’ (Hart et al, 2004) • Principles of co agency ( active engagement); trust (relationships) and everyone (inclusiveness ) • How does learning take place? • Sociocultural theory of learning & multimodal communication

4. The Field of School • Social contexts/ Resources multimodal communication / Teacher agency learner agency Practices/ interactions learning outcomes co agency Relationships of trust Inclusiveness

5. Methodology Qualitative multiple; case study design • Sample : 32 participants comprising 16 cases • Each case: final yr secondary school student and same sex 6-7 yr old sibling • 6 private and 7 government schools • Sites urban areas Karachi and Lahore • Methods: ethnographic style interviews; participant observation; Interviews with EDOs and Heads of school • documentary analysis; informal interviews with

6. Social context of learning/ Resources • Infrastructure : Poor in GS (no toilets , canteen, playground, libraries, funding • Human resources: Teachers in GS more qualified and trained • Curricular: strict guidelines for GS; simpler • Languages: Urdu vs English • taught: English Urdu and Sindhi latter in Karachi only)

7. Snaphshots of Government Schools

8. Social interactions: Practices • Accountability structures (diff) promotions • Ability based segregation : a reality in half of the GS • Use of Urdu in GS and devaluation of local languages in PS. • Secondary board examination

9. Social interactions: practices contin • Transmission Mode of Teaching : Lack of trust in learner agency • Corporal punishments • Perceived relationships with teachers • Intersubjectivity issues • Questions in class a sign of failure in GS • Syllabus coverage not learner ability the base • Different languages different practices

10. Ex 1: Comparison of Sindhi Language Teaching Government School • Sindhi they would make us write question answers and they would not make us do reading then the period would be over and the second sir would come and would say put it away and then the work that was on the board, the would say delete it he would delete it • Umair Private School graduate described his Sindhi class • Sindhi teacher herself would get it done.That was a strange way just to get it over with. They would say just do the reading (1+). Now no one knew how to read,,, thus we read half and half the teacher would make us read. This she would not tell what’s the meaning of these words. How to speak these words. If Sindhi had any history?

11. Ex 2 Urdu teaching/ learning • Government School : KhalilGSG laughed as he recalled his Urdu classes at school • There was no Urdu subject ,the teacher only came occasionally… then stayed until the period was nearly over. Then s/he asked ,,, a student to start reading. After completing the whole chapter he would tell now mark the answers of questions. At times it happens that the teacher taught the whole chapter and after reading he would say do the question and answers from home… no marking of answers,…no answers tick marked. It also happened like that. • Private School: Majeed described his experiences of Urdu class • My Urdu was weak. Now there were some words that when the teacher gave us to read I would stop (1+) while reading. Some words I could not read so the teacher said( How will you (1+) study Urdu,,, what will you do?,,, so I used to sit down. When Miss would dictate I would ask and ask [from friends] and write. Some words I could not understand. I would ask and ask [from friends] what they meant and put them in my mind and then I wrote them in simple words.

12. Ex 3: English Language • Government School • Yaseen said: • The English sir would make us stand and then no one would read,,, he would make us do work but there was no reading…he would also make us do words meanings but would not explain (Interview, GSG, Karachi, April 16, 2008) • Private School English Class • Midrah,: • The usual pattern was that she used to come and she asked anyone of us to read the chapter then she used to explain,,, our teacher. Then she dictated notes. Meaning she dictated and we used to write. • ( Interview PSG, Karachi, May 21, 2008.)

13. Ex: 4 Questions in GS • Maria recalls vividly the humiliation when she ventured a question in her English classes: • The English teacher would say what did you study in 6th and 7th that you do not know,,, how did we pass? Then she would say like that, then I would become silent. Then like this [I] never asked. If I would have asked she would have said the same. (Interview GSG, Lahore, April 6, 2008)

14. Ex: 5 Anxiety and Stress in GS • Imran (GSG) now in final year BA repeatedly mentioned that he was glad that the school was over and there is ‘no pressure’: • In government schools maam there is a constant pressure ,,,A boy who has taken sick and takes a day off knows no matter what he will have to take the beatingand what do you think beating is like in government schools. Two boys are asked to hold a boy pinned against the desk and then there is a severe beating with a stick,,, it was awful. (Interview GSG Karachi, April 25, 2008) • Khalil (GSG) related one of the many times he was severally beaten. • Ask me if there was a reason for hitting? There had to be a reason. The reason was that I asked a question after that I became uninterested in studies I said I will not study. I was in class five. I ran away from school,,, burnt all my books,,, [decided] that I am not to study. (Interview GSG, Karachi, April 16, 2008)

15. Implications for learner agency • Ability based notions in GS constraining the agency • Space for learner engagement • Emotional wellbeing / anxiety • Inter subjectivity issues

16. Collaborative vs Coercive Processes Agency enhancing Agency constraining embedded messages of negative belief in learner ability in social contexts and interactions Stress and anxiety Poor relationships Issues in inter subjectivity Less Space for learner engagement Embedded messages of positive belief in learner ability in social contexts and interactions Emotional security Relationships of trust ( meaningful scaffolding ) Greater intersubjectivity More space for learner engagement

17. Perceived Language Learning outcomes. • Urdu : GS : 6 of 16 could not read or write • PS ‘poor’ • English: GS: Only minimal or not even that • PS: All but only 7 of 16 highly confident , only two attributed it to school. • Sindhi: None • 17 of 32 participants perceived themselves as ‘in the middle of no where’

18. Conclusion The paper conceptualizes learners as semiotic social beings who make meaning from their interaction with: • social contexts of learning : i.e human, material , curricular resources , and • teaching/ learning practices • Implications for learner agency and discusses their possible impacts for learning outcomes from the perspective of sociocultural theory collaborative and coercive processes at work in private and govt schools : generating a positive or negative sense of agency .Results of the study are limited a) representations and b) nature of the study Further research needs :