We are pleased to announce the publication of the January–June 2026 biannual issue of ELT Choutari. This collection synthesizes reflective narratives, empirical action research, and scholarly critical reviews contributed by educators, researchers, and practitioners. The articles presented herein offer diverse pedagogical perspectives on English language teaching (ELT) and linguistic research within the specific sociocultural landscape of Nepal. By documenting authentic classroom experiences and refining pedagogical methodologies, ELT Choutari serves as a vital platform for bridging the divide between theoretical frameworks and practical classroom application.
The subsequent section offers a detailed introduction to our esteemed contributors, accompanied by concise summaries of their scholarly reflections and action research insights. We trust that these experiential narratives and pedagogical anecdotes will serve as a significant resource for our readers, providing actionable strategies and theoretical depth applicable to diverse educational settings. By meticulously documenting these voices, we aim to facilitate a broader understanding of the challenges and triumphs inherent in contemporary language instruction.
Mr. Arjun Jung Rayamajhi, in this article, replicates a deeply personal and moving story about the power of education. The author, who grew up in a small village in the countryside, far from amenities, has risen from a young student to earning a doctorate at a top-ten university in Nepal, and chronicles the harsh socio-economic constraints that stand in the way of rural students. It emphasizes that students can overcome the systemic challenges and continue to engage in their lifelong journey of learning through determination, early teacher encouragement, and academic resilience.
Likewise, Mr. Tirtha Raj Ranabhat, in his article, applies the method of narrative inquiry to understand the reasons for undergraduates’ reluctance to speak English fluently in a multicultural, multilingual classroom in Aadikavi Bhanubhat Campus, Tanahun. His research with students from different backgrounds sheds light on why this is the case: the influence of the mother tongue, cultural home environments, and a lack of targeted motivation for learning a language, as well as an educational bias towards written skills over oral fluency. He believes in using flexible and interactive teaching approaches which are inclusive and encourage learner autonomy and reduce language anxiety.
In his thought-provoking article, Mr. Dasarath Rai has raised the question: Does Punctuation Matter? and here is why: He makes an analogy between musical notation and structural grammar, and asserts that punctuation has a life beyond the literal and regulates pauses, emphasis, human emotion, and ideological authority. He condemns the lack of attention to the instruction of punctuation in the English classrooms of Nepalese schools and colleges, and says that without attention to such nuances, students are not equipped to become truly global, empathic communicators.
In his book review titled Teaching English as an International Language,Mr. Nar Bahadur Bist provides a comprehensive evaluation of the eponymous text authored by Ali Fuad Selvi and Nicola Galloway. The reviewer methodically deconstructs the core themes of the work, specifically addressing the historical expansion of global English, the strategic design of an EIL (English as an International Language) curriculum, and the necessary transition in assessment practices away from traditional native-speaker norms. By critically engaging with these elements, the review underscores the significance of the book as an interdisciplinary resource tailored for teacher educators, scholars, and policymakers alike.
Here is the list of blogs for you to navigate in this issue::
Lastly, we extend heartfelt gratitude to all our editors and reviewers – Dr. Nani Babu Ghimire, Dr. Mohan Singh Saud, Dr. Jnanu Raj Poudel, Jeevan Karki, Sagar Poudel, Karuna Nepal, Puskar Chaudhary, and Dasharath Rai- for their dedicated efforts in bringing this issue to completion.
ELT Chautari remains a welcoming space for researchers, scholars, educators, and practitioners to share insights, practices, and narratives from classrooms and communities alike. We warmly invite you to contribute to our upcoming issue by submitting your articles and reflections to 2elt.choutari@gmail.com.
Language is the main means of communication, and the goal of English language instruction is to provide pupils with the ability to understand and use the language orally and in writing. It also bridges the ideas and emotions of communicators. This study focuses on the difficulties Bachelor Level students at the Aadikavi Bhanubhakta Campus, Damauli, Tanahun encounter when learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in the classroom, with a particular emphasis on their reluctance to speak the language fluently. The study investigates the causes of this reluctance, including the impact of mother tongue and culture, deficiency of motivation, conventional teaching methods, and an unbalanced emphasis on particular language abilities. In-depth interviews with four bachelor-level students from various language and cultural backgrounds are conducted as part of the research’s qualitative design. The results show that the student’s reluctance to talk in English is caused by various factors, including the prevalence of their mother tongue, cultural norms at home, a lack of drive, and conventional teaching approaches that place a higher value on written than oral fluency. The participants offer strategies to deal with these issues, highlighting the necessity of peer group discussions, interactive and communicative teaching methods, and activities encouraging student autonomy. They support an adaptable method that lets students from multicultural and multilingual backgrounds express themselves freely without worrying about making grammatical or pronunciation mistakes. The study highlights how crucial it is to establish a welcoming and inclusive learning atmosphere to improve.
Language helps to exchange information, news, feelings and many more between or among conservationists. It also helps share fears, tears and cheers among speakers and listeners.Nepal is a country of cultural, religious and linguistic diversity. After the implementation of the Interim constitution in 2007 AD, the dawn of multilingualism and multiculturalism was heralded in Nepal. It states that Nepal is a secular, multilingual and multicultural country.
The constitution has stated that receiving a basic education in one’s mother tongue is a fundamental right. Subsequently, the Ministry of Education (MOE) in its 2007 National Curriculum Framework for School Education stated the need for acknowledging local knowledge, cultures, and languages in schools. According to the current Constitution, Nepal is a secular, inclusive, democratic, socialism-oriented state where we can perceive that “All the Nepalese people, with multiethnic, multilingual, multireligious, multicultural characteristics” (Part 1, Article 4). “Every Nepalese community residing in Nepal shall have the right to get education in its mother tongue and, for that purpose, to open and operate schools and educational institutes, by law.” (Article 31).
The purpose of English language education is to provide students with the capabilities to understand the language appropriately and to have good ability in written and oral (Richard, 2008). Since English is an international and global language, it works as a passport for the conversation. It bridges between or among interlocutors. Listening, speaking, reading and writing are four language skills which are divided into two skills receptive and productive. Listening and reading fall under the category of receptive skills and speaking and writing are productive skills (Saraswathi, 2004). Speaking is the primary means of communication. Speaking skills are a must at any place at any time. It enables conversational partners to express inner feelings. It also fosters the analytical, interpretive, synthetic, evaluative, creative, and critical power of the speakers and listeners. In addition, it generates, articulates, fosters, convinces, persuades and sometimes distracts the conversational partners too. In the context of Nepal, it has been geographically and administratively or politically divided into different factors. Geographically or naturally, it has been divided into the Himalayan region, the Mountainous region and the Tarai region. The majority of people from Thakali, Tamang, Lama, Gurung etc live in the Himalayan religion, Magar, Gurung, Brahmin, Chhetri and other castes live here. In addition, Danuwaar, Rai, Limbu, Lepchaa, Waaiabaa, Shah etc live in the Tarai region. They have their typical language and culture. National Education Policy 2019 states “management of multilingual education based on mother tongue, Nepali and English as a medium of instruction in addition to the mother tongue according to the linguistic diversity of Nepal, children’s interests and needs.” (Policy 10.8).
As a faculty member in the English Department, at the same aforementioned college, i.e. Aadikavi Bhnubhakta Campus , Quality Assurance and Accreditation (QAA) -certified affiliated college of Tribhuvan University, I have been teaching English to undergraduate students mainly from the Humanities and Social Science Faculty, Management and Education Faculty for 5 years. Nestled in the western part of Nepal, the campus has been the intellectual hub of English education for mainly the students of Tanahun, Lamjung, Gorkha, Nawalpur and other adjoining districts. English has been a charming subject for many aspiring students mainly female, ethnic, indigenous, Dalit and many more who are planning to go abroad and who long to be English teachers. One interesting point is they are from different linguistic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and abilities and have their own peculiar speaking English experience. An individual owns his/her language and culture. (Chand, 2020) stated, “Our community is mixed up with people from these diverse cultures.” So are in the classroom. Previously, i.e. before conducting this research, I guessed that there was variety and prosperity in speaking English in such a multilingual and multicultural class but it was beyond my expectations when I talked with them so I had a keen desire to research it.
However, most of them belong to lower socio-economic families and they do not have good skills in English because of their origin, i.e. the influence of mother tongue, lack of confidence, practice interaction, home environment, community school background, lack of exposure, fear, lack of motivation and feedback, teachers’ interference, fear of making mistake and poor English background. When it comes to speaking skills in English in different contexts such as delivering a speech, participating in speech contests, individual presentations and interaction, I particularly found students from bachelor-level students even who are majoring in English at the campus are unable to properly speak English fluently, and unhesitatingly communicate in different contexts. Students even majoring in English who hesitate to communicate properly in English without hesitation seem to be challenging not only for students but also for me as long as I have been teaching English over the last twenty years from the grassroots level to the Bachelors’ level in different public and private schools and colleges of Nepal.
Purpose of the Study
This research paper, ‘Learners Hesitation in Speaking English in the English Classroom in Multicultural and Multilingual Context ‘ aims to diagnose critically the scenario of English language skills mainly speaking skills from different perspectives in the aforesaid campus. The chief purpose of this research was to find out the main components that have obstructed Bachelor Level students of the aforementioned college in English EFL classrooms. The main target of this research paper was to investigate the main causes of hesitation and suitable alternatives to solve them.
In addition, it aims to explore why the students are lagging in nurturing their speaking power and how this problem can be sorted out with specific strategies or solutions with the interconnection of existing policies of multilingualism and multiculturalism. The final motto of this research is to enable students to separate whether nurture or nature is more important in speaking English. Eventually, it targets to chase perfection and pleasure in speech. If not, they are received, they are likely to bring excellence and hope. This results in a win-win situation.
Research Questions
The undivided purpose of this research is to find out the situations, components and appropriate solutions hesitation of students while communicating in an EFL classroom and outside its periphery. I designed research questions clinging or sticking to my objectives. My research purpose bound me to design my main question in the given ways:
How is the speaking scenario of their college and how do they feel while teaching or learning to speak English in multicultural and multilingual contexts?
To ease, lead, further my research and reach the knowledge construction level with step by step-by-step procedure, I designed the auxiliary questions which are listed below:
What are the problems they are facing in such a context?
How can we solve these problems?
Theories Implied
Nepal cherishes the diversity of its languages, cultures, and religions. Nepal’s Constitution has acknowledged the value of multilingualism and multiculturalism in the nation. Every Nepalese community living in Nepal is also guaranteed by the Constitution the right to receive an education in their mother tongue and the right to establish and run schools and other educational facilities for that purpose.
For pupils to have effective written and spoken communication skills, as well as proper language comprehension, English language instruction, is essential. The two categories of language skills—receptive and productive—are speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Speaking is the most important form of communication and is necessary everywhere, at all times.
In this research, I have used Constructivist and Communicative constructivism theory. Constructivist theory is a post-structuralist theory of evolution and development that deals with knowledge construction and learning. It explains how structures, language activity, and meaning are developed. According to Burleson (2007), constructivism is a general theory of communication skills that examines skilled behaviour concerning three major communication processes: social perception, message production, and message reception. The author describes some of the background factors that lead some people to emerge as highly skilful communicators and others as less skilled.
Communicative constructivism elaborates on social constructivism and links it to Habermas’ theory of communicative action. It considers knowledge, body, performance, and objects as part of communicative action. The CLT approach allows both teachers and students to transfer their traditional teaching and learning beliefs into an innovative teaching and learning approach. For example, a well-known educator (Dos Santos, 2019a; Dos Santos, 2019b) in language learning advocated that today’s students like to use technological-assisted materials and tools for language learning, such as social media platforms and internet chat groups. To meet the needs of these students, such visual and interpersonal communicative tools must be created and employed.
Methodology
I chose an interpretive research paradigm for the study. This is a qualitative research design study. Narrative inquiry is a qualitative methodology of studying the experiences of participants through a recollection and spontaneous narrative of lived stories and events. (Clandinin and Huber,2010). For this purpose, four bachelor-level students of the aforenamed campus from different language and cultural backgrounds were interviewed and information was collected. Among them, one of them was from the Muslim community, next from the Magar community, another from the Gurung community and the final one was the student who was reared in India with a different culture where Panjaabi was used as the main language. The selection of the students itself was diverse and inclusive by nature so I expected unique output or results too. For that purpose, I interviewed them in depth and collected the data. Next, I used a mobile phone and recorded the audio interview. Being an interviewer and researcher, I filtered, evaluated and analyzed the transcription. Finally, I drew out the conclusion. Besides, different sources, I visited and surfed various research sites, blogs, and websites as secondary sources for this research.
Every individual has the right to secrecy. Even the constitution of Nepal has such provision for the right to privacy. Article 28 of the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS, explicitly outlines the right to privacy. It stipulates that the privacy of an individual’s life, residence, property, documents, statistics, correspondence, and character-related matters shall be inviolable, except when constrained by the law. Confidentiality and ethical issues are utmost in any research. For that motto, the names of the participants are changed into pseudo-names to preserve anonymity. Among them, the first participant is named Mr A, the second one is Ms B, the third participant is Ms C and the fourth or final one is Ms D. Likewise, the original words of the participants are written to maintain the trust and originality of the research.
Discussion and Findings
Speaking skill is the buzzword and popularly demanded practical skill in today’s world. However, it has been just like a fishbone stung in the throat to those who are studying English as a second, third or fourth language in multilingual and multicultural contexts. There are reasons behind it though it needs one and all. Hesitation has been a chief hindrance to sharing inner feelings because of which the voice that is supposed to be expressed or heard always remains in a vacuum. For that, they express their problems being hesitated and have come up with specific measurements too which work as a catalyst to boost their speaking skill. With the in-depth interview of four bachelor-level students, the interpretations are made here.
Theme 1 : Influence of Mother Tongue and Culture
Home is the first school of the child because either civilized or educated culture and language or barbarous or know-nothing culture begins from home. The child learns the first language at home. The ability to communicate effectively in English exemplifies the correctness of pronunciation and intonation and directly affects the appropriate communication in conversation (Zhang & Yin, 2009). Mr A, Ms B and C belonged to Muslim, Magar and Gurung communities respectively. According to them, they were highly influenced and dominated by their mother – tongue, culture from home and dominance of teachers. Mr. A said, “I could not speak English unhesitatingly because of the influence of culture. I had to recite Quaran and Namaz instead of reading and speaking English. Not only that, they spoke Arabic, and Urdu at home instead of Nepali. When I joined in school it was too difficult to learn Nepali and English simultaneously so I was lagging in English because they were his third and fourth languages instead. Further, he added his anecdote when he was in school. He said, ” My school used to call every student one by one to deliver the speech in the class in English period but I was almost hopeless and my mind went blank. The teachers were nitpickers and only criticised grammatical errors, pronunciation, and tone. I was almost paralysed and could not express my view in the way that I expected and speak nothing due to the interference of my mother tongue and culture.” But what he now opines is that he is a little bit improving due to peer talk at college and school since he is a teacher too. He also added that the memories of those days sometimes haunt his college, and professional life.
Similarly, Ms B and C were dominated more than Mr A due to the excessive use of their mother tongue at home and even at school. Ms B said, ” I was reared in a monolingual and monocultural society where all the neighbours belong to the Magar community who only use their mother tongue and culture. When she went to school too, she found almost the same environment because more than 90 % of students and personnel of the school belonged to her community. When I was called to speak last year in the class, I was almost dumb and could speak nothing due to hesitation that was because of the interference of my mother tongue. The reason behind it was that we hardly practised English so I felt hesitant while speaking in college and public. Now I had a little bit of improvement in speaking when I started interacting with my teachers and began working as an English teacher in a private school in my locality.” The story of Ms C was also interesting who belonged to the Gurung community. She said, “Our English teacher learnt the Gurung language and taught us to translate in that language when we did not understand English. How could we speak English in school when we could not understand and speak Nepali either? It has hindered me in my college too. Now I have started teaching in public schools where English is used as the medium of instruction so I should say there is a green signal of change in my speaking ability. ” Likewise, the fourth one Ms D said,” I was reared in India. Though people thought I had good English speaking power it was not in the past and is not at present either due to the influence of Hindi and Punjabi. Our neighbors and schools focused on those languages, nevertheless English. I hesitated due to distinct accent, tone, and pronunciation in my college since Punjabi and Hindi have dominated my English”
Theme 2: Lack of Motivation
Motivation is a state of cognitive arousal or internal drive that pushes someone to do things to do something. It is the heart of learning. It reduces tension, energizes and activates the students. But the participants are far-flung which is one of the core causes of hesitation of motivation. It is mentioned in the literature that motivation is a key to students’ learning success (Chinmoy, 2007). In this sense, motivation is a key consideration in determining the preparedness of learners to communicate. Zua (2008) further adds that motivation is an inner energy. She says that no matter what kinds of motivation the learners possess it will enhance their study interest. However, I have found distinct data in this research. This is the case with one of the participants Mr. A expressed that his orthodox and strict father never allowed him to read loudly nor speak English at home, though he was too willing to learn, talk, and lead ahead. He added, ‘My family environment discouraged, demoted, and hesitated me to speak and improve my English.’ Another participant Ms B had a different version in this case. She said, “My family, school, and surroundings had hegemony of the Magar language and culture. I should say my luck was fifty-fifty and I enjoyed listening to English speaking mainly during festivals and holidays when my neighboring brothers and sisters who came to the village from the town had gone for study purposes and foreign countries for studies and jobs and conversed in English with their fellow friends. Sometimes I used to add ‘yes or no in the middle. That was that .”
Similarly, another participant, Ms C responded that teachers always used dogmatic and authoritarian styles since her school education till this date. She responded, “We were always criticized, ignored, and harassed while speaking English by our colleagues and teachers. The teachers only focused on grammar and pronunciation rather than fluency and content.” Similarly, the next participant Ms. D expressed that they never got an opportunity to share their inner feelings and opined that speaking English was a far cry from what she along with her colleagues had expected because the teachers used only teacher-centered lecture methods while teaching and they were never motivated to speak and use their feelings without hesitation. This shows that too much correction and interruption by the teacher discouraged learners and hesitation reigned over them.
Theme 3: Use of Traditional Teaching style
Teaching is an art which is to be updated according to time and situation. While doing research, I found that students hesitate to speak English because of the outdated monotonous teaching style. Mostly pedagogy is based on grammar translation and outdated theories and methods in remote areas to date. One of the participants Mr A said, “Our teachers rarely use interactive and communicative approach or true learning style to teach where students never shared their opinions because they only used chalk and talk principle though the projectors, smart TVs and multimedia devices availed in the college. It would add a cherry on the cake and we would be encouraged to express our inner desires and feelings with their proper use.” Though it is said that students are not empty pots waiting to be poured knowledge delivered by the teachers nor passive listeners rather they are to participate in the teaching and learning activities of the classroom, the teachers are still using deductive and teacher-centred lecture methods in the classroom where students can act nothing except yawning, moving limbs nonetheless uttering any English words in the forty-five-minute classroom. What can be more than this for the hesitation among students? Poorman (2002) observes that ” true learning cannot take place when students are passive observers of the process”. In addition, another participant Ms.D responded that our teachers only wrote notes on the whiteboard, which we copied and they used the grammar-translation method to make us understand but never asked us to discuss, analyse, comment, evaluate and interact on it which made us lag on speaking. This shows that students are presented as silent dummies or empty pots waiting to be filled by teacherly knowledge who do not act anything rather than considered bright sparks waiting to be ignited.
Theme 4: Biased Use of Language Skills
A vivid and effective communicative class is supposed to be the integration of the four language skills training, in which the teacher needs to establish a positive atmosphere, plan appropriate activities, encourage learners and deal with problems sensitively (Davies & Pearse, 2000; Jing, 2006). Although all four language skills, i.e. listening, speaking, reading and writing are equivalent. After researching, I found the reality a bit different. Participant Mr. A reported, “We faced hesitation to speak English because the teachers only focused on writing and reading skills nevertheless speaking and listening. We were rarely allowed to participate in peer group discussion, interaction, demonstration, speeching, even drilling, presentation, elocution, extempore, or group work which would comfort, ease, confide, explore, enrich, and ultimately enable us to express our feelings.”
Similarly, the next participant Ms. D stated, “Our exam system also has weakened and made us hesitate to speak English because it is based only on written skill. Even practical marks are often given according to written exams or class performance. The teachers also never let us involved in oral practical skills like speaking, listening, interacting and other works. To a great surprise even though all the language skills are intertwined and function like connecting the dots or chain of a bicycle, we practiced little reading. We buried our feelings deep in our hearts but never thought as potential seeds which are likely to germinate and quickly waited for the time when we could speak and express ideas but those days did not occur according to our expectations. We were instructed to write and reading as ivory tower and speaking as step- mother or sisters. We sometimes watched English movies or speaking videos on TV, YouTube etc in the classroom which was not adequate. ” This speaks that speaking classroom should never be under the teacher’s strict control where s/he uses chauvinistic dogmatism. S/he is to be dependent on what learners act or do, what they say or opine and what they realize or feel. The students deconstruct, reconstruct, reflect, experience, learn, unlearn and relearn more than tutored by the teacher.
Theme 5: Irrelevant Evaluation of Speaking Skill
Though speaking skills are the primary and productive skill of learning a language, participants B and C responded that it is illogical, irregular and irrelevant in their context. It is managed either before the annual exam once or practical marks are mostly given on a random basis where the halo effect and horn effect are likely to be practised. This sort of practice sometimes resorts to inviting dubious to find who are the goodies and who are the baddies in language skills. National Curriculum of English (2007) clearly states that all four language skills should be tested in the SLC exam. The school should conduct listening and speaking tests internally regularly, keep the records and send them to the concerned authority but it is not strictly practised from the grassroots, tertiary and upper,i.e. college or university level so that students can develop proficiency and confidence in language learning mainly speaking. Students require proper and regular feedback so they are to be given it from time to time. In a more recent study, Akter (2010) proved that giving feedback to the learner on their performance was an important aspect of effective teaching. To fulfil this purpose, a continuous speaking and listening evaluation system along with immediate and essential feedback is a must.
Solutions of Hesitation
There are no problems sans solutions. Every problem has its solutions and hesitation in speaking is no exception. Participant Mr A asserted, “Students with multilingual and multicultural knowledge should be motivated to use English easily where the language teachers are to be flexible, liberal in the class and outside.” In addition, it adds a few more stones to the foundation of speaking skills when teachers and guardians adopt a laissez-faire approach to practising English speaking because motivation triggers and inspires speakers to imagine and explore their creativity and imaginary power and speak since speaking is a production if they have nothing too in the minds. When interactive and communicative approaches based on discussion, interaction, debate, peer review, group work, speech, open free talks, elocution, and extemporisation are organised, they are bound to solve the hesitation problem of speaking English in class. Group or teamwork dramatically increases the number of talking opportunities for individual students. It is effective and achievement is more when they work together. In teamwork, the students can decentralize their work and can share views which is very interesting and full of curiosity about what will come after that. It develops the ability of patience, both hearing and sharing culture along with deep reverence for the co-conversationalist because every neighbour has a good story to tell, share, write or hear.
It also promotes learners’ autonomy by allowing students to make their own decisions in the group without being told what to do by the teacher (Harmer, 2007, P.166) His solution is when the teachers use these kinds of interactive modes, students slowly foster their speaking skills. Similarly, another participant Ms. C said, “Students from multilingual and multicultural backgrounds should be motivated to use English by applying flexible policy by the teacher rather than pointing and complaining about the small grammatical and pronunciation errors.” The unheard and untold contents, subject matters or stories from the students come on the floor if students feel comfortable and give an unhesitating ‘yes’ when they are told to speak or when they get an opportunity. Other suggestions to increase students’ motivation are shared by Liu and Huang (2010). They say that to overcome students’ lack of motivation, teachers can do activities like promoting students’ awareness of the importance of English, enhancing students’ interest in English, and developing their self-confidence They should be allowed to express the content unhesitatingly, nonetheless they are to be hurt. If so, they continue to suffer and deteriorate their speaking skill.
This shows that students feel at ease and enthused over speaking when they are free from personal, collegial, teacherly and public criticism and they have peace, energy and impulse in their minds and hearts when everybody appreciates them and their speech. As a result, students always feel completely at ease and are eager to throw their hearts and souls into the ocean of speech, speak and share ideas eventually.
Conclusions
In-depth interviews with four bachelor-level students from various language and cultural backgrounds are conducted as part of the research’s qualitative design. The results show that the student’s reluctance to talk in English is caused by a variety of factors, including the prevalence of their mother tongue, cultural norms at home, a lack of drive, conventional teaching approaches, irrelevant examination systems that place a higher value on written than oral fluency.
The participants provide solutions to these problems by emphasizing the value of peer-group conversations, communicative and interactive teaching techniques, and activities that promote student autonomy. They advocate for a flexible approach that allows kids from multiracial and multilingual backgrounds to freely express themselves without being constrained by concerns about spelling or grammar. The study emphasizes how important it is to create a friendly and inclusive learning environment to advance. The topics that arose from in-depth interviews with students are examined in the discussion section, with particular attention paid to the imbalance in language skill focus, the demotivating impacts of some educational philosophies, and the pervasive influence of mother tongue and culture. The investigation concludes with recommendations for resolving the issues that were discovered. The participants argue for a change in teaching techniques by highlighting interactive and communicative teaching approaches, stimulating peer group discussions, and fostering a flexible environment. To improve students’ speaking abilities and reduce reluctance, the need to establish a welcoming and inclusive learning atmosphere is emphasized. This adds to a thorough comprehension of the obstacles preventing pupils from speaking English successfully.
The study suggests a shift in teaching techniques, emphasizing interactive methods, peer group discussions, and a flexible environment. It emphasizes the importance of a welcoming, inclusive learning atmosphere to improve students’ speaking abilities and reduce reluctance to English language education. For that, teachers are the epitome and real leaders who are to know the route, show the route and go the route. The reason behind it is that one who always falls probably fails to tell others how to rise permanently. It strives its best to bring complete happiness and perfection. If not, it is, conversely bound to be hopeful and excellent in speaking.
Author’s Bio: Tirtha Raj Ranabhat is an MA/B.Ed. graduate from Tribhuvan University and is an M.Phil. thesis running learner in ELE at Kathmandu University. He is a life member of the Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association (NELTA) and also an assistant secretary of NELTA, Tanahun chapter. He has a wide experience of teaching English, from grassroots level to college level. Currently, he is working as an assistant lecturer at Aadikavi Bhanubhakta Campus Damauli, Tanahun which is a two-time QAA certified campus granted by UGC Nepal . He is also working as an assistant headmaster at Aadikavi Bhanubhakta Secondary School , Damauli, Tanahun , a sister institution of Aadikavi Bhanubhakta Campus Damauli, Tanahun.
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Title: Teaching English as an International Language Authors: Ali Fuad Selvi, Nicola Galloway Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication Year: First published online: December 2023 ISBN: 9781009462495 (HB), 9781108821230 (PB), 9781108902755 (OC) ISSNs: 2632-4415 (online), 2632-4407 (print)
Introduction
Teaching English as an International Language by Ali Fuad Selvi and Nicola Galloway is a comprehensive examination of the expanding role of English in the world. As English increasingly functions as a global lingua franca, this book explores the implications for teaching and learning the language. As English increasingly functions as a global lingua franca, it has significant implications for teaching and learning across diverse sociocultural contexts (Selvi & Galloway, 2023; Jenkins, 2007). Moreover, it explores the evolving role of English as a global language and the implications for teaching English as an international language. It provides a comprehensive overview of key themes and practical strategies for effective English instruction. The objectives are to equip teachers with knowledge and skills to navigate the complexities of teaching English internationally. Mainly, the approaches are blend of theoretical, empirical, and practical perspectives to bridge research and classroom practice. The theme of the article is Globalization of English, cultural diversity, intercultural competence, teacher education. English as a Global Language English, has become the predominant language of international communication, business, and academia. English is used in a wide range of contexts, from formal to informal, across diverse cultures. It has role and status of English continues to evolve, with increased linguistic diversity and transfer in the linguistic power.
Content Synopsis
The subject matter of this book offers a comprehensive account of the unprecedented spread of English as a global language by taking historical, sociolinguistic, and pedagogical perspectives. To realize this main objective, it opens with an accessible discussion of the historical path of the English language. The book integrates historical, sociolinguistic, and pedagogical perspectives to examine English as a global and multilingual lingua franca (Selvi & Galloway, 2023; Matsuda, 2012). Besides that, the qualitative and quantitative connections to its contemporary diversity in terms of forms, roles, functions, uses, users, and contexts of English as a global and multilingual Franca. Built upon this synchronic-diachronic symbiosis, the discussion is complemented by an overview of major analytical paradigms and trends that promote systematical scrutiny of the English language and its sociolinguistic and educational implications. It ends by showcasing instructional practices, recommendations, reflective questions, and future directions for language educators to revamp their beliefs, commitments, and practices considering the changing needs and realities of the present-day global sociolinguistic ecology and individuals therein. The book is divided into several chapters, each addressing different aspects of teaching English as an international language (EIL).
Key Topics in the Book
The key topics included in the book are presented under the following headings.
The Global Spread of English
This chapter merely the historical and contemporary spread of English around the world. The role and status of English continue to evolve with increased linguistic diversity and shifting power relations (Kachru, 1992; Kirkpatrick, 2010).Furthermore, highlighting its status as an international language. English is used in a wide range of contexts, from formal to informal, across diverse cultures.
Theoretical Frameworks
The authors investigate into various theoretical frameworks that inform English as a International Language. The theoretical frameworks such as World Englishes and English as a Lingua Franca to challenge native-speaker norms in English language teaching (Jenkins, 2007; Kachru, 1992). It involves teaching, such as World Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), and trans-languaging.
Curriculum and Pedagogy
Practical strategies for designing curriculum and classroom activities that reflect the global nature of English are presented. This includes integrating cultural diversity and fostering intercultural competence are central to effective EIL-oriented curriculum design (Matsuda, 2012; Kirkpatrick, 2010). Adapting teaching methods and materials to meet the needs of international learners.
Assessment
Assessing English proficiency in international contexts requires moving beyond native-speaker norms (Seidlhofer, 2011; Selvi & Galloway, 2023). The book addresses challenges and solutions in assessing English proficiency in a way that acknowledges the diverse contexts in which English is used.
Teacher Education
This section provides insights into preparing teachers to effectively teach EIL, emphasizing the need for ongoing professional development and critical reflection. Teacher education programs must emphasize critical reflection and ongoing professional development to address the realities of global English use (Selvi & Galloway, 2023; Matsuda, 2012). Equipping teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills to teach English globally.
Case Studies
Real-world examples and case studies illustrate how the principles of EIL can be implemented in various educational contexts around the globe.
Critical Analysis
I found this book is a valuable resource for us as a teacher educators, researchers, and policymakers. The writer successfully argued for a paradigm shift in how English is taught and moving away from traditional native-speaker. Teaching English as an International Language challenges traditional native-speaker ideologies by recognizing plural forms and functions of English (Jenkins, 2007; Matsuda, 2012). This book has great advantages such as Comprehensive Coverage: It covers a wide range of topics relevant to EIL, providing a holistic view of the field. Practical Application: the comprehension of practical strategies and case studies makes the theoretical concepts capable and applicable for practitioners. Interdisciplinary Approach: Drawing on insights from linguistics, education, and sociocultural studies enriches the discussion.
Crucial and Developed Area of the Book
The most crucial and developed area of the book are given below.
Technological Integration
More discussion on how technology can support EIL teaching and learning would be beneficial, given the increasing role of digital tools in education.
Local Contexts
While the book provides a global perspective, more detailed exploration of specific local contexts could enhance its relevance for diverse readers.
Conclusion
Teaching English as an International Language is a timely and essential read for anyone involved in English language education. Both writers Ali Fuad Selvi and Nicola Galloway provided a thought-provoking and practical guide to navigating the complexities of teaching English in a globalized world. Their emphasis on inclusivity and respect for linguistic diversity is particularly noteworthy, making this book a significant contribution to the field. Teaching English as an International Language promotes linguistic diversity, cultural inclusivity, and more effective global communication in a globalized world (Kachru, 1992; Selvi & Galloway, 2023).Teaching English as an International Language represents a significant shift in language education, reflecting the realities of a globalized world. While there are challenges to its implementation, the potential benefits of TEIL in promoting linguistic diversity, cultural inclusivity, and effective global communication.
Author’s Bio: Mr. Nar Bahadur Bist is an ELT practitioner from Doti, Nepal. He is currently pursuing an MPhil in ELT from Kathmandu University, School of Education. He is an English instructor at Seti Technical School, Rajpur, and a secondary-level teacher at Martyrs Memorial Residential Secondary School, Doti. His areas of interest include English language teaching, linguistic study, EMI and ELT study of language, and teacher professional development. He can be reached at narbist22@gmail.com.
References
Selvi, A. F., & Galloway, N. (2023). Teaching English as an international language. Oxford University Press. ISBNs: 9781009462495 (hb), 9781108821230 (pb), 9781108902755 (oc). ISSNs: 2632‑4415 (online), 2632‑4407 (print)
Jenkins, J. (2007). English as a lingua franca: Attitude and identity. Oxford University Press.
Kachru, B. B. (1992). The other tongue: English across cultures (2nd ed.). University of Illinois Press.
Kirkpatrick, A. (2010). World Englishes: Implications for international communication and English language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
Matsuda, A. (Ed.). (2012). Principles and practices of teaching English as an international language. Multilingual Matters.
Seidlhofer, B. (2011). Understanding English as a lingua franca. Oxford University Press.
Canagarajah, S. (2006). Ethnographic methods in language policy research. In T. Ricento (Ed.), An introduction to language policy: Theory and method (pp. 115–130). Blackwell.
We are pleased to announce the release of the Issue of ELT Choutari (October-December 2025). This issue presents a collection of reflective accounts from English language teachers and practitioners, offering diverse perspectives on teaching, learning, and research.
Since it is a generic issue, it includes articles from diverse fields of English language teaching in the context of Nepal. ELT Choutari is a platform to share the English language teachers’ experiences regarding their practices and experiences. This issue is the result of the same. For this, we are grateful to all the contributors. We encourage English language teachers and practitioners to contribute in the future issues as this can share and document our reflective practices.
The following section includes the contributors with the gist of their reflections. We hope their experiences and anecdotes will benefit our esteemed readers.
Mr. Dev Ram Joshi, in his article, explores the engagement of learners in English language learning through project-based learning integrated as internal assessment in the secondary level curriculum. His technical action research reflects that his students increased the time to study English subject, developed their writing skill including handwriting and composition skills and presentation skills such as pronunciation, clarity, and confidence. Meanwhile, they started to learn English by studying other reference materials as well.
Likewise, Mr. Dammar Singh Saud in his article drawing on personal experience and educational theories, argues for reflective, context-sensitive, collaborative, and well-resourced Teacher Professional Development. He advocated that, learning from countries like Finland and Singapore, Nepal must prioritise teacher agency, mentorship, digital readiness, and long-term systemic reform.
Similarly, Mr. Khem Raj Rauteda, in his article, reflects his experience implementing translanguaging pedagogy to enhance learner engagement in a multilingual secondary classroom in Nepal. Through reflecting on his role as a facilitator and co-learner, he found that translanguaging nurtured culturally responsive pedagogy, strengthened relationships, and empowered students, providing valuable insights for inclusive English language teaching in multilingual contexts.
Similarly, Mr. Janak Sigdel, in his article, explores the ongoing challenges of implementing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in rural community schools in Nepal. His reflection highlights key barriers, including inadequate infrastructure, lack of electricity, limited internet access, and low digital literacy among teachers. His article underscores the growing digital divide between urban and rural schools, advocating for policy interventions and capacity-building programmes to promote more equitable and sustainable ICT integration in education.
Likewise, Mr. Nar Bahadur Bist, in his article, deals with the complicated and changing nature of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in language planning and policy in Nepal. He discusses how English has established a dominant presence in the education system, as well as a larger presence in society, despite Nepal’s non-colonial relationship with Britain, shaping ideologies, creating inequalities, and affecting cultural identity.
Moreover, Mr.Arjun Jung Rayamajhi, in his article, discusses the integration of ChatGPT in English language teaching in Nepalese community schools with its opportunities and challenges. He argues that ChatGPT offers the possibility to experience a personalized learning process and support engagement growth in the underprivileged setting. However, it also emphasizes the significance of the human factor, critical thinking, and ethical competence.
For your convenience, here are the hyperlinks to the blog posts:
Lastly, we extend heartfelt gratitude to all our editors and reviewers — Ganesh Kumar Bastola, Jeevan Karki, Dr. Nani Babu Ghimire, Dr. Jnanu Raj Poudel, Sagar Poudel, Binod Duwadi, Puskar Chaudhary, Dr. Yadu Prasad Gnawali, and Dasharath Rai—for their dedicated efforts in bringing this issue to completion.
ELT Choutari is a platform for researchers, scholars, educators, and practitioners to share insights, practices, and narratives from classrooms and communities. We invite you to contribute to our upcoming issue by submitting your articles and reflections to 2elt.choutari@gmail.com.
Project-based language learning is a procedural approach of language learning activities through the planning, exploring, analyzing, and synthesizing, in which the learners present their findings in the class either orally or in written form (Beckett, 1999). Dhungana (2025) believes that the project-based learning (PBL) model encourages students to learn actively by using different strategies to develop their language skills and improve achievement. He further supported this model as an opportunity and a transformative method to develop the 21st-century skills in the learners to maintain international standards. Furthermore, PBL creates a productive environment for learning, but the projects are to be selected rigorously, students are to be guided in each step, and there should be proper assessment of the students to encourage all of them for meaningful learning and cosy presentation in the class (Fleming, 2000). PBL can be taken as an innovative and inquiry-based learning method that fosters learners’ active engagement in language learning through continuous guidance of teachers and exploration of students. This framework of learning develops not only the language skills but also the soft skills during the process of conducting and completing the project works (Ecuador, 2019; Maulina, 2024; Nasir & Dermawan, 2021).
The concept of PBL was developed by stepping on the project method (Kilpatrick, 1918), experiential learning and teaching (Dewey, 1938), and sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978). Similarly, the historical steps for this approach began after the 1980s, when a task-based approach to language learning took place in ELT (Beckett & Slater, 2005; Wang, 2020). In the context of Nepal, this method gained value in the Nepalese education system when the national curriculum framework (2076 B.S.) envisioned life skill-based and competency-based subject-wise curricula. Then, the English curricula and textbooks, including other subjects, incorporated project works after each chapter of the textbooks from grades six to twelve. Additionally, the curriculum development centre has designed an internal evaluation guideline (2080 B.S.), which provides rubrics to evaluate students’ project works and other academic activities objectively and reliably.
Regarding empirical studies on project-based learning (PBL), the existing literature focuses on the effectiveness, challenges, and possibilities of PBL in the EFL classroom (Dhungana, 2025; Sanchez, 2019; Maulina, 2024; Devkota et al., 2017; Guslyakova et al., 2021; Aldabbus, 2018). Likewise, other studies have focused on how PBL fosters learner active participation and confidence of students in EFL classrooms (Aubrey, 2021; Giri, 2016; Nasir & Dermawan, 2022). Furthermore, Bastola (2021) examined how PBL can guide students to solve problems while learning English. Acharya (2023) analyzed the perceptions, practices, and challenges while applying PBL in health education. Gibbes and Carson (2014) scrutinized PBL from learners’ perspectives, Yuliani (2017) studied how PBL can enhance learner autonomy, and Somani and Rizvi (2018) compared PBL and traditional approaches of language teaching under a quasi-experimental design. However, I could not find the studies on PBL that investigated it to promote English language learner investment and integration of internal assessment with it.
I found my students avoiding investing in English language learning, which led them to low performance in all skills and aspects of language activities. Then, I asked them how much time they invest in English, and they replied that they only spent five to twenty minutes on English, and they again added that they usually do not pay much attention to the English subject, as they can pass it. I thought that if they depend only on classroom teaching and do not put in extra efforts outside the class, they might not perform what the are capable of. Similarly, overconfidence and exam-focused preparation in any subject is not good for knowledge and personal development. Therefore, this study aims to enhance learner investment through PBL incorporated with internal assessment techniques in secondary level students of Nepalese public schools by using the following research questions.
How does PBL, integrated with internal assessment, enhance learner investment in learning English?
What are the challenges and possibilities while implementing PBL in the EFL classroom?
Methods
As a practitioner teacher, I improve my professional practices with the help of action research by following the steps: planning, acting, observing, and reflecting (PAOR) (Burns, 2010). In this research, I have employed a project-based language learning approach integrated with an internal assessment system as the interventional technique to increase the time, effort, and dedication of my secondary level students in English language learning under the framework of technical action research by following the PAOR structure (Kemmis et al., 2014). The students of grade nine and ten (e.g. English medium sections of 9A and 10A), who numbered thirty and fifty students respectively, were the participants. I got my students to complete the projects mentioned in the textbook in regular teaching. Here I have presented projects: reading, writing, observing, and giving a speech project and peer/classroom teaching as the integrated project works, which I had provided during two long vacations, and I supported them to present their projects in the class. I observed how they have prepared and what resources they have studied, I collected their reports and looked at them closely, and I observed their classroom presentation by following the rubrics. Similarly, I had surveyed the status of students about their time, efforts, and dedication that they have about English language learning by asking open-ended questions. Finally, I analyzed the reflections that occurred in the class based on thematic analysis, followed by research questions and themes generated from classroom performance of students (Burns, 2010; Kemmis, McTaggart, & Nixon, 2014; Mertler, 2019).
Results and Discussion
Reading, Writing, Observing, and Giving Speech Project
As I had assigned the task of preparing a long essay, most of the students had prepared the essay as per the instructions, and a few students expressed the reasons for not completing the project work. And I provided them a few days to complete the task. Meanwhile, I provided feedback on their essays and guided them to make a final draft of the essay to record them in the file of project work. To make a clear understanding of the topic, we discussed the topic, and most of the students took part in the conversation actively. After the reading, writing, and observing (i.e., watching and listening) activities, students were taken towards preparing a draft of a speech to present in the class and one day, public speaking training was conducted by using multimedia and teaching the techniques of giving a speech. Students presented their speeches one by one every day. I evaluated their speech based on the modified criteria of internal assessment (e.g., report preparation-5, accuracy and clarity-5, confidence and style-5, content coverage-5, Timing-5), and I converted 25 marks into 16 marks to match the criteria of the internal assessment guideline, as there is a provision of testing listening and speaking for 16 marks. Thus, this project work contributed to the development of not only all language skills and aspects but also collaboration, confidence, creative, and interpretive skills as the students got help from peers, teachers, and other references during the process.
There was a girl who was unable to buy a copy for making notes, but she bought a grammar book and practice book, being encouraged to learn English after I conducted public speaking training for a week. I asked her, “Why and how did you manage the money for all these things?” She happily answered that she went to work on the farm as a labourer for five days and earned twenty five hundred rupees, which was enough for her. After such a long preparation, huge efforts, and investment of time, effort, and dedication, she was able to give such a nice performance. The integrated and task-based activities encourage students to be involved in learning activities for a long time (Joshi, 2024). He further claimed that the writing proficiency gaps could be maintained through continuous support to the students and involving them in publishing booklets of their project works. Similarly, Joshi (2025) claimed that the empathetic communication and supportive environment in the class help students to cope with stress during the preparation and presentation of academic activities. Furthermore, active participation and confidence of students can be enhanced through balanced project work in EFL classrooms (Aubrey, 2021; Giri, 2016). To sum up, it is certain that the PBL enhances the learner investment if the project works are designed carefully and if the students are supported in each step, not only in the classroom but also through technology and library resources.
Classroom/Peer Teaching Project
My English medium students were good at reading and average at speaking and writing skills. Therefore, I guided them to select any reading text and prepare for teaching to develop all their language skills integratively. Therefore, I provided this project work during the long holiday of Dashain and Tihar. When the classes began, I checked my students’ project works and provided feedback on their word meanings, answers to the comprehension questions, and other tasks that they had worked on. Before getting them to present their lessons, I explained and clarified their confusion related to the texts. I guided my co-teachers (students) to present their lessons at the beginning of the class within the timeframe of ten to twenty minutes, but some students requested the whole period of 45 minutes, and then I checked their preparation first and allowed them to take the whole class, ensuring detailed preparation. Meanwhile, I facilitated and judged them during their presentations. Some of the students presented excellent, and some did average. However, the hopeful point was that they maximized their time, efforts, and devotion in English language learning activities.
There was a boy in grade ten who used to stay passive in the class, but he used to ask questions related to English, not related to the current topic. When I provided him a chance to teach, he taught in such a way that students exclaimed with delight that his performance was perfect. After the presentation, I asked him how much time he had spent preparing for the lesson, and he replied with pride that he had spent a week for the preparation; consulting extra books, watching YouTube videos, and discussing with Chat GPT to prepare the lesson. Similarly, there was a girl in grade nine who was assumed to be fussy as she used to remain passive but talkative with her friends. She was average in subject matter, quiet, and not interested in communicative activities in English. However, when she got a chance to present her lesson, she used a clear, confident, commanding voice while teaching and used English most of the time. I asked her the same question, and she replied that she had worked two weeks to prepare a lesson. Rusli et al. (2021) accepted that peer teaching is significant to enhance the academic achievement of students as it creates an environment that develops confidence and motivation. Yuliani (2017) also supported this and claimed that PBL promotes learner autonomy.
Integration of Internal Evaluation with PBL
National Curriculum Framework (2076), Secondary Level Curriculum (2078), and Internal evaluation criteria (2080) recommend the incorporation of internal evaluation of English from nine to twelve with regular learning facilitation process through creative tasks and project works. Similarly, there are listening and speaking skills to be tested separately for 16 marks. However, the curriculum’s intention is for integrated language learning activities. Therefore, I decided to test language skills integratively through project works that I discussed earlier. I tested listening and speaking skills as per the curriculum during the classroom teaching. Saud et al. (2024) also emphasized the modification of internal assessment rubrics to contribute to learning language with a holistic approach rather than just evaluating students’ achievement.
Challenges and Possibilities of PBL in EFL Classrooms
Besides the unlimited benefits of project-based learning, due to more closures of schools and frequent holidays, not all of the students got a chance to present their projects by taking the sufficient time they wanted. Additionally, the lack of time challenged me as well because I could not conduct learning activities by covering all the projects mentioned in the textbook. Although the students were motivated to engage in project work, a few students got frustrated due to the lack of resources that they required to prepare for the projects. Some students have neither access to additional materials nor the library (e.g., physical or digital), in the initial stage, they did not accept these PBL techniques as it was new and had never been presented in class before as a regular part of learning, so the lack of confidence prevented them from smooth learning. Similarly, the students with a poor language base tried to avoid the project works, but they did so after the huge support and encouragement.
Despite the challenges, the project-based language-learning model creates space for an open, context-specific, and active learning environment if we can manage the challenges mentioned earlier. Similarly, the effective implementation of internal evaluation incorporated with regular teaching and PBL techniques can ensure the required investment and engagement of all learners and support for proficiency gaps as well. The internal evaluation criteria are used for providing marks to prepare results, but these have not been incorporated effectively with classroom teaching and internal evaluation in many schools, due to students feeling threatened in project works without a support system (Saud et al., 2024). Therefore, only after creating supportive mechanisms and effective implementation of internal evaluation can learning opportunities be provided (Joshi, 2025). Devkota et al. (2017) explored the challenges and opportunities, and their findings are also similar to my study, as they mentioned that the time and school environment play vital roles in making PBL more fruitful in EFL classrooms.
Conclusion
As the purpose of the study, the investment in students for the English subject increased at a satisfactory level. I wanted my students to spend at least an hour every day. However, some of them provided up to two to three hours, two weeks, and most of them gave an hour happily, although they used to give only five to twenty minutes. Similarly, they increased their efforts and invested money not only in reference materials but also invested time to consult the library. As a result, they performed better in the class, their handwriting improved, clarity and confidence increased, and they learnt collaborative skills to give and take help in the learning process. Although the project work was new and unique, and the previous trend was just a repetition of the course content in vacations, my students accepted the plan for project work easily after they observed some project works in videos. Not only during the project work but also in regular teaching, the technique (e.g., encouraging students to share their learning in the class as a task or a project) made students alert and prepared. This study will be helpful and a reference for those English language teachers who want to implement PBL in EFL classrooms to enhance learners’ active participation, and for language policy designers to revise the internal assessment guideline in the coming days. This study only presented the reflections of two project works, just for internal assessment and fostering learner investment, and further investigations can be conducted to integrate soft skills in the language learning process through project-based learning.
References
Acharya, S. (2023). Perceptions, practices, and challenges of applying project-based learning in health education.Journal of Education and Practice, 14(2), 112–121.
Aldabbus, S. (2018). Project-based learning: Possibilities and challenges in primary classrooms.International Journal of Education and Research, 6(4), 75–88.
Aubrey, S. (2021). Enhancing English language learner engagement through project-based learning.TESOL Quarterly, 55(3), 780–804.
Bastola, B. (2021). Project-based learning to develop problem-solving skills in English language classrooms.Journal of NELTA, 26(1–2), 45–58.
Beckett, G. H. (1999). Project-based instruction in a Canadian secondary school’s ESL classes: Goals and evaluations [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of British Columbia, Canada.
Burns, A. (2009). Doing action research in English language teaching: A guide for practitioners. Routledge.
Curriculum Development Centre. (2019). National curriculum framework for school education. Government of Nepal, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
Curriculum Development Centre. (2021). Secondary level (Grades 9–10) English curriculum. Government of Nepal, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
Curriculum Development Centre. (2023). Internal evaluation guideline for school education. Government of Nepal, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
Darvin, R., & Norton, B. (2023). Investment and motivation in language learning: What’s the difference?. Language Teaching, 56(1), 29-40.
Devkota, B., Karki, R., & Shrestha, S. (2017). Challenges and possibilities of implementing project-based learning in EFL classrooms in Nepal.Journal of Education and Research, 7(1), 32–49.
Dhungana, A. (2025). Investigating the effectiveness and implementation challenges of project-based learning: A case study of public school teachers in Chitwan, Nepal. Journal of Balkumari College, 14(1), 89-96.
Dhungana, K. (2025). Effectiveness and implementation challenges of project-based learning in English language teaching.Nepal Journal of Language Education, 10(1), 15–28.
Gibbes, M., & Carson, L. (2014). Project-based language learning: Learners’ perspectives.Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 8(2), 171–189.
Ginting, D. (2021). Student engagement and factors affecting active learning in English language teaching. Voices of English Language Education Society, 5(2), 215-228.
Giri, R. A. (2016). Project-based learning as a 21st-century approach in English language teaching.NELTA Journal, 21(1–2), 12–25.
Guslyakova, L., Kuznetsova, N., & Ivanova, E. (2021). Problems of implementing project-based learning in EFL classrooms.European Journal of Education Studies, 8(10), 34–46.
Joshi, D. R. (2024). Teachers’ experiential strategies for bridging writing proficiency gaps among secondary level students. Far Western Review, 2(2), 91-105.
Joshi, D. R. (2025). Exploring counselling-based pedagogy in EFL classrooms: Perceived values of English language teachers in Nepal. Far Western Journal of Education, 2, 57-73.
Karki, S. (2018). Effectiveness of project work in developing students’ speaking skills. Journal of NELTA, 23(1–2), 101–113.
Kemmis, S., McTaggart, R., & Nixon, R. (2014). The action research planner: Doing critical participatory action research. Springer.
Maulina, M. (2024). Empowering English language learners through project-based learning for language proficiency.Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 14(1), 66–78.
Mertler, C. A. (2019). Action research: Improving schools and empowering educators (6th ed.). Sage Publications.
Nasir, M., & Dermawan, A. (2022). Enhancing learners’ participation and confidence through project-based learning in EFL contexts.Asian EFL Journal, 24(5), 90–104.
Rusli, M., Degeng, N. S., Setyosari, P., & Sulton. (2021). Peer teaching: Students teaching students to increase academic performance. Teaching Theology & Religion, 24(1), 17-27.
Sanchez, R. (2019). Effectiveness of project-based learning to improve students’ speaking skills.English Language Teaching Journal, 12(6), 123–134.
Saud, M.S., Aryal, S., & Sapkota, J.L. (2024). Student assessment in formal education: Nepali community school teachers’ perspectives. Prithvi Academic Journal, 7, 67-77.
Somani, R., & Rizvi, M. (2018). A comparative study of project-based and traditional approaches in English language teaching: A quasi-experimental design.International Journal of Instruction, 11(3), 15–30.
Yuliani, S. (2017). Promoting learner autonomy through project-based learning in EFL classrooms.Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 8(2), 68–77.
Author’s Bio: Dev Ram Joshi is an English language teacher at Mahunyal Secondary School, Bhajani-1, Kailali and the MPhil scholar at Far Western University, Nepal. He has been teaching English at the secondary level for over ten years. His areas of research interest include language proficiency gaps, psycholinguistics, motivation, transformative pedagogy, learner empowerment, self-directed learning and professional development, ecosystem in language education, and ELT material development. He can be reached at teacherdrjoshi@gmail.com.
The integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has transformed educational practices worldwide, fostering innovative teaching and learning experiences (UNESCO, 2018). In developing countries like Nepal, however, ICT implementation remains uneven, particularly in rural community schools. Despite the government’s efforts to promote ICT in education through policies such as the School Sector Development Plan (SSDP, 2016–2023), the challenges in rural contexts continue to hinder its effective use. This study reflects on my personal and professional journey as both a learner and a teacher in Nepal’s community schools, focusing on the challenges of ICT implementation and the realities of the digital divide between rural and urban educational settings. I was born and raised in a rural village in Tanahun District, Nepal. My early education took place in a community school that lacked basic ICT infrastructure, including computers, projectors, and even electricity. Like many rural students, I completed my schooling without ever having seen or used a computer. My only exposure to ICT was through conversations among teachers, which made computers sound like distant, mysterious tools.
The lack of digital exposure during my schooling reflected a broader issue: Nepal’s rural-urban educational disparity, especially in access to technology. Several studies align with my own personal experience, whether as a student or a teacher in various schools. For example, a study by Joshi and Ayer (2024) found that most rural schools in Nepal still lack the infrastructure and training needed for ICT integration. Similarly, Phunyal (2024) reported that many community schools have computers but lack consistent electricity and internet facilities, making their use infrequent and symbolic rather than transformative. Similar challenges are echoed in Lomo et al. (2024) when they reported that insufficient funding, weak stakeholder support, training challenges, poor electricity and internet access, and high maintenance costs constrained head teachers’ efforts to support ICT integration in teaching and learning. It has been reported that teachers have poor ICT skills, schools have poor internet connectivity, and a lack of computers, which creates a significant challenge in its implications (Lamsal, 2022). This report aligns with my personal experience in using ICT in teaching and learning.
Transition to Higher Education and Exposure to ICT
After completing my School Leaving Certificate (SLC), I moved to Pokhara for higher education. I passed intermediate without seeing computer use in the teaching and learning process. However, this transition marked a turning point in my educational journey. While pursuing my Bachelor’s degree, I joined a computer institute and completed a basic computer course. I also began teaching in a private school, where I observed the effective use of ICT in classrooms. Students were taken to the computer lab for a computer class, as well as being taught the contents through ICT tools.
Teachers used projectors, digital content, and multimedia presentations, and I noticed how students were more engaged and motivated. Their enthusiasm contrasted sharply with my own schooling experience. This observation deepened my understanding of the digital divide, a term referring to the unequal access to technology across social, geographical, and economic boundaries (Van Dijk, J., 2020). However, even in higher education, the integration of ICT was limited. Most lecturers relied on traditional lecture methods, highlighting a systemic gap in technology adoption even at the tertiary level.
ICT in Higher Education: A Source of Inspiration
During my master’s degree at Tribhuvan University, I experienced technology-enhanced learning environments for the first time. Professors used laptops, projectors, and digital resources to teach English, which significantly enhanced classroom engagement. They utilised ICT tools in preparing teaching materials and presentation slides, and employed these tools to involve students in group work. The most exciting thing I experienced was that they provided project work that required students to use computers in reporting the work. The ICT use really brightened up the classroom, ended boredom, enhanced students’ participation, and allowed students to explore the world of knowledge using technology. These experiences reinforced my belief that ICT could revolutionise teaching and learning if properly implemented. It inspired me to become an ICT-oriented teacher who could bring innovation into classroom instruction.
Research supports this realisation. According to Pun (2013), the use of ICT in teaching English promotes learner autonomy, motivation, and language exposure beyond textbooks. Similarly, Adhikari (2022) emphasises that teachers’ attitudes and digital competence play crucial roles in the success of ICT integration. Furthermore, Paudel (2021) argued that teacher professional development programs must include digital literacy and pedagogical training to ensure the sustainable use of ICT in schools.
Encountering Realities as a Teacher in Rural Community Schools
My enthusiasm for using ICT faced harsh realities when I began teaching in a rural community school in Tanahun. The school lacked not only computers but also electricity. There was no internet connection, either. I had to depend on mobile data to connect to the internet. The mobile data was also poor. I was disappointed with the realities I confronted there at that time. I was just puzzled about how to integrate ICT in my real teaching without ICT tools at school. The classroom size was large. I had the responsibility of dealing with tech-savvy learners who were more interested in using technology in learning a language. I wanted to be a scuba diver, but the circumstances forced me to be helpless. There was also poor support from the administration in utilising ICT in teaching and learning. I talked to the head teacher and the SMC chairperson. They spoke of the financial challenges the school was facing. My colleagues were discussing the lack of opportunities for ICT training, despite their wishes. Only a few teachers are well-trained in ICT. I desperately wished for an appropriate policy at the local level to address the challenges of ICT implementation in the community school. My knowledge and training in ICT felt irrelevant in that context. Similarly, Rana (2018) and Paudel (2022) identify financial constraints, inadequate training, and the absence of institutional commitment as core barriers.
After four years, I was transferred to a secondary school at Bhimad, where the situation was slightly better; there were computers and projectors, but no internet connectivity and unreliable electricity. Moreover, most teachers were digitally illiterate. Even computer teachers conducted classes theoretically without hands-on practice. These challenges align with findings from Sharma (2020), who observed that many rural schools in Nepal possess ICT tools but lack effective usage due to insufficient training, irregular power supply, and a lack of maintenance support.
Current Teaching Experience and Continuing Challenges
Currently, I teach English at a community school in Tanahun. Despite my persistent efforts to integrate ICT tools into lessons, barriers remain. Limited resources, poor connectivity, and a lack of institutional support continue to restrict meaningful ICT use. I have maximised available tools, using personal mobile phones, recorded videos, and downloaded materials, but systematic integration remains out of reach.
This situation aligns with broader national findings that rural teachers face “second-order barriers”—attitudinal, skill-based, and policy-related constraints that prevent effective ICT use (Ertmer, 1999; Paudel, 2021). Dong, C. (2025) reported that teachers faced major obstacles in integrating ICT into their teaching, primarily because they lacked adequate ICT training and professional development Rana and Rana (2020) in the Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Technology observe that the implementation of ICT in rural Nepal is highly context-dependent, constrained by geography, socio-economic status, and policy support. The persistence of these issues reveals the urgent need for localised training, infrastructure investment, and policy follow-up. Their findings reinforce the idea that rural ICT integration requires systemic rather than individual-level solutions.
Reflections and Implications
My journey from a student deprived of ICT to a teacher striving for ICT integration reflects the systemic inequities in Nepal’s education system. The journey helped me come up with the idea of the challenges of ICT implementation and its corresponding measures. The lack of sufficient ICT resources, inadequate ICT-based training for teachers, inconsistent electricity supply, poor internet access, a lack of alternative sources of electricity, insufficient administrative support, and a lack of ICT skills are identified as the major challenges to the effective implementation of ICT in rural community schools in Nepal. It underscores that ICT implementation is not merely a technological challenge but a socio-economic and policy issue.
These various experiences helped me to develop the insights to minimise the challenges. Conducting regular ICT training for teachers, promoting digital literacy among students and teachers alike, and community and local government participation in ICT initiatives. Schools must search for financial resources, and stakeholders need to provide administrative and technical support to mitigate the challenges that emerge with the effort to integrate ICT in teaching and learning, particularly in rural community schools. The findings also triggered changes in the policy-making and implementation aspects to seek a solution to the challenges observed. The majority of teachers who have not had the opportunity to learn ICT skills need to be provided with training for proper implementation of ICT in the language classroom, and ultimately to transform the traditional way of teaching to the recent ICT-integrated teaching.
Therefore, policymakers and educational leaders must consider various factors, such as strengthening infrastructure (including electricity and internet access) in rural schools, conducting regular ICT training for teachers, promoting digital literacy among both students and teachers, and encouraging community and local government participation in ICT initiatives. Furthermore, the SMC chairperson and head teachers should share equal responsibility for adopting technology in classroom teaching and learning. The teachers also need to be aware that the use of technology enhances the learning outcome, meeting the goal of quality education. Additionally, various tiers of government need to collaborate to address the challenges of implementing ICT in education. These governments need to formulate an appropriate IT policy and equally emphasise the implementation part. Moreover, these governments need to allocate a budget for infrastructural development and the management of ICT tools in schools. As UNESCO (2023) notes, equitable access to ICT is a key driver of inclusive and quality education. Without addressing the underlying barriers, the digital divide will continue to widen.
Conclusion
This reflective account highlights that ICT integration in rural community schools of Nepal remains a significant challenge despite policy intentions and teachers’ enthusiasm. The author’s experiences mirror those of many rural educators who aspire to innovate but are constrained by contextual limitations. Bridging this gap requires more than distributing devices; it demands sustained commitment to infrastructure development, teacher professional development, and community engagement. Only then can ICT truly transform education in rural Nepal.
References
Acharya, C. P. (2014). Use of ICT/Web tools in ELT in Nepal. Journal of NELTA, 19(1–2), 1–13.
Dong, C., Ji, H., Yang, T., Wu, H., Liu, C., Xie, X., … & Zhang, X. (2025). Janus Adsorption of Polar Ion Hubs for Simultaneous Regulation of Zinc Deposition Kinetics and Interfacial Stability in Long‐Cycle Aqueous Zinc‐Ion Batteries. Advanced Functional Materials, e13529. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202513529
Ertmer, P. A. (1999). Addressing first-and second-order barriers to change: Strategies for technology integration. Educational Technology Research and Development, 47(4), 47-61. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02299597
Joshi, K. R., & Ayer, R. (2024). Teachers’ experiences and challenges of integrating ICTs in English language classrooms in rural schools of Nepal. Journal of NELTA Gandaki, 7(1–2).
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Lomo, D. A., Abonyi, U. K., & Ahwireng, D. (2024). Headteachers’ support and challenges toward ICT integration into teaching and learning in Ghanaian Basic schools. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 24(2), 330–345.
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Pun, M. (2013). The use of multimedia technology in English language teaching: A global perspective. Crossing the Border. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 1(1), 29–38.
Rana, K., & Rana, K. (2020). ICT in rural primary schools in Nepal: Context and teachers’ experiences. Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Technology, 8(1), 36–53.
Tondeur, J., Van Braak, J., Ertmer, P., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2017). Understanding the relationship between teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and technology use in education: A systematic review. Educational Technology Research and Development, 65(3), 555–575.
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Author’ Bio: Mr. Janak Sigdel is an English teacher at Chandra Jyoti Secondary School, Ghirhing, Tanahun. He is the Roster Trainer of the Education Training Centre, Gandaki Province. Currently, he is pursuing an MPhil from Nepal Open University. He can be reached at schoolchandrajyoti31@gmail.com.
Teacher professional development (TPD) in English language teaching plays a vital role in enhancing instructional quality, equipping educators to navigate pedagogical shifts shaped by globalisation, technological change, and diverse learner needs. In Nepal, however, TPD is often approached as a formality rather than a transformative process. Reflecting on my own journey as an ELT professional in Nepal, I have observed how many initiatives fail to address the practical challenges teachers face, particularly in rural, multilingual, and under-resourced settings. Workshops tend to be centralised, top-down, and theory-heavy, lacking follow-up mechanisms, teacher agency, or contextual sensitivity. Moreover, many educators participate passively, with limited motivation or incentives to translate PD programmes into meaningful classroom practices. These experiences have led me to question the prevailing assumptions about professional development and the disconnect between policy rhetoric and actual teacher empowerment.
Critically analysing this situation through the lenses of Self-Determination Theory and Vygotsky’s Social Interaction Theory, it becomes clear that sustainable TPD must foster autonomy, competence, and collaborative growth. Teachers thrive when they are seen as active agents of change rather than passive recipients of PD programmes (Vygotsky, 1978; Ryan & Deci, 2017). Looking at successful models from countries like Finland and Singapore, one finds strong institutional support, continuous mentorship, and an ingrained culture of reflective practice, all of which are largely absent in Nepal (Paudel, 2019). These countries prioritise teacher voice, build trust, and tailor PD programmes to school contexts, contrasting sharply with Nepal’s fragmented and compliance-oriented system. Therefore, for Nepal to strengthen its ELT landscape, it must rethink its approach to TPD, grounding it in teachers’ lived realities, engaging stakeholders at all levels, and investing in long-term structures that value teacher learning as a continuous, context-driven, and collaborative process.
The Lived Experience of a Language Educator in Nepal
My professional journey in English Language Teaching, which began in 2009 at Darchula Multiple Campus in Far Western Nepal, has been marked by moments of hesitation, discovery, and continuous growth. Initially uncertain about teaching, I gradually developed a deep passion for the field, fueled by positive student engagement, satisfaction and appreciation. As I advanced through B.Ed., M.Ed., MPhil and PhD programmes in English Language Education, I began to view teaching not just as content delivery, but also as a reflective and learner-centred process. These academic pursuits expanded my understanding of critical pedagogy, curriculum design, and classroom dynamics, encouraging me to question traditional practices and embrace innovation in teaching. Reflective practice, in particular, became central to my pedagogical identity, prompting me to consistently analyse and refine my methods based on learner feedback, context, and theoretical grounding.
Critically reflecting on my participation in various teacher professional development programmes, I recognise how certain experiences significantly shaped my professional outlook. A workshop at Far Western University on reflective practice and professional ethics, for instance, challenged me to reconsider my assumptions about teacher identity and responsibility. An online course from Arizona State University introduced me to curriculum evaluation frameworks and the concept of communities of practice (Wenger, 1998), emphasising collaboration and shared learning among educators. These initiatives illustrated the power of contextually relevant, participatory TPD. The COVID-19 pandemic brought another critical learning opportunity: when I led a Microsoft Teams training for faculty, it became apparent that many colleagues lacked digital competencies. This revealed a broader institutional gap in ICT readiness and highlighted the urgent need for systemic support in digital literacy. Such experiences not only broadened my understanding of ELT in Nepal but also sharpened my belief that effective TPD must be reflective, responsive, and rooted in the real challenges teachers face.
Critical Reflection and Theoretical Evaluation
The persistent underdevelopment of teacher professional development in Nepal reveals deeply entrenched structural challenges that continue to hinder quality education, particularly in English Language Teaching. Most TPD programmes in Nepal are designed and delivered through a top-down, standardised approach that disregards the diverse and context-specific realities of teachers, especially those in rural and marginalised regions (Borg, 2015). In my own teaching context, institutional limitations such as a lack of high-speed internet access, digital tools, and sufficient ICT infrastructure severely constrain innovative practices and hinder access to professional learning resources. Moreover, TPD initiatives are often conducted as one-off workshops, functioning more as bureaucratic formalities than transformative learning experiences. This tokenistic approach has prevented TPD from becoming a sustained, reflective, and embedded part of the teaching culture. Without long-term follow-up, mentorship, or collaborative platforms, teachers are left isolated in their pursuit of pedagogical improvement.
Reflecting on my own professional experiences, I find strong resonance with Schön’s (1983) concept of the reflective practitioner, which underscores the importance of learning through reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action. My practice of writing reflective journals after classes has evolved into a key professional habit, helping me to self-evaluate and adjust instructional strategies based on student responses and emerging challenges. Brookfield’s four lenses of critical reflection, such as autobiographical experiences, students’ perspectives, peer observations, and theoretical knowledge, have guided me in adopting a more holistic, evidence-informed approach to teaching. In the absence of robust institutional support, I relied heavily on self-directed learning through YouTube, MOOCs, webinars, and online communities, which served as vital metacognitive tools in my growth. Drawing on Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory, I recognise that my sustained motivation stemmed from a sense of autonomy, growing competence, and meaningful connections with like-minded educators. These experiences highlight not only the gaps in Nepal’s TPD ecosystem but also the power of teacher agency and intrinsic motivation in driving professional transformation.
Socio-Educational Relevance in Nepal’s Current Context
Nepal’s educational system, particularly in its rural and remote regions, remains heavily burdened by systemic challenges such as teacher isolation, lack of mentorship, and limited access to current academic resources. These issues are compounded by the digital divide, financial constraints, and bureaucratic red tape, which collectively stifle innovation and professional growth (Saud, 2023). In my own teaching experience, I have observed that even the most motivated and competent teachers often become disillusioned due to inadequate institutional support and rigid administrative structures. For example, teachers eager to integrate technology or apply new pedagogies frequently encounter logistical obstacles such as insufficient budgets, unreliable internet, or delayed bureaucratic approvals. This reinforces a cycle of stagnation, where meaningful reform is constantly deferred.
Despite these challenges, the enthusiasm among educators to engage in professional development remains palpable. During a Microsoft Teams training session I facilitated, I witnessed firsthand the eagerness of colleagues to enhance their digital literacy and pedagogical skills, an experience that underscored the untapped potential that exists when support structures are made accessible. This calls for the urgent design of responsive, contextually grounded TPD programmes that incorporate blended learning, modular flexibility, and collaborative learning communities such as peer-led reflective practice groups. Additionally, Nepal’s shift to a federal governance structure presents a valuable opportunity to decentralise TPD initiatives. If provincial governments, universities, and local education commissions can collaborate to tailor TPD efforts to local needs, while integrating global best practices and honouring indigenous knowledge systems and multilingual realities, then the quality and relevance of ELT in Nepal can be significantly enhanced.
Comparative Insights: Learning from Developed Countries
Countries like Finland and Singapore offer powerful counterpoints to Nepal’s underdeveloped TPD landscape, each providing distinct yet transferable lessons. Finland’s model emphasises deep professional trust, autonomy, and research-based practice. Teachers are required to hold a master’s degree, and professional development is seamlessly integrated into their weekly workload through collaborative inquiry and action research. This system nurtures a culture of intrinsic motivation, critical reflection, and lifelong learning, values that resonate with my own evolving understanding of professional development as a reflective and context-driven process. The Finnish model demonstrates that when teachers are viewed as intellectuals and collaborators rather than mere implementers of top-down directives, sustainable educational transformation becomes possible.
In contrast, Singapore exemplifies a highly structured, systematised, and well-funded approach to teacher professional development. Its centralised body, the Academy of Singapore Teachers, ensures coherence, quality control, and equitable access to TPD opportunities. Regular teacher appraisals, clear career progression pathways, and targeted ICT training reflect a deliberate alignment between policy, infrastructure, and pedagogy. Although Nepal cannot replicate either model wholesale due to differing socio-economic and political realities, strategic adaptations are feasible. Encouraging teacher-led inquiry projects, akin to Finland’s reflective autonomy, could empower local educators within their own contexts. Similarly, establishing a national TPD coordination body under Nepal’s Ministry of Education, inspired by Singapore, could ensure consistent funding, monitoring, and support. Finally, both models underscore the necessity of investing in localised digital infrastructure and content, steps Nepal must prioritise to bridge the rural-urban divide and foster equitable teacher growth across the country.
Recommendations for Key Stakeholders
Reflecting critically on Nepal’s current educational challenges, it is clear that the government and policymakers must take a proactive and sustained role in transforming teacher professional development. Allocating at least 5% of the education budget specifically for TPD, including investments in digital tools and training, would signify a much-needed commitment to educators’ growth. Context-sensitive and continuous PD programs, with annual evaluations, are essential to ensure relevance and effectiveness rather than one-off workshops. Establishing regional TPD centres with training-of-trainers models can decentralise professional learning and tailor it to local needs, especially in rural areas. Moreover, providing travel grants and funding for teachers to attend national and international forums will foster exposure to global best practices and motivate educators to innovate. Without such systemic support, TPD risks remaining fragmented and ineffective.
At the institutional and community levels, educational leaders and teachers must embed reflective practice into daily routines through learning journals, peer reviews, and action research. These strategies cultivate a culture of self-awareness, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Teacher mentorship and co-teaching initiatives can further strengthen professional support networks, while promoting ICT literacy as a core competency is vital in today’s digitally driven world. Developing signature pedagogies like post-class reflection writing not only enhances teacher effectiveness but models lifelong learning for students. Parents and students also play a critical role; their recognition of teachers’ efforts and active collaboration in assessing learning needs can build stronger school communities. Encouraging students to engage in reflective learning, research, and publication under mentorship nurtures a culture of inquiry from early stages. Finally, the broader citizenry, including civil society and media, must advocate for teacher rights and celebrate educational excellence publicly. Partnerships with national and international institutions and cooperatives can provide practical support to school and university infrastructure and TPD programs, ensuring that education reform is a shared societal endeavour rather than a solitary institutional responsibility.
Reimagining TPD for Stronger Nepal
Teacher professional development extends far beyond conventional training sessions; it embodies a profound moral, social, and intellectual commitment to fostering educational equity and excellence. Reflecting on my own journey, shaped by relentless self-directed learning, engagement with institutional initiatives, and the inspiration drawn from students, I have come to appreciate the transformative potential of continuous, reflective development. However, the path is fraught with significant challenges: scarce resources, fragmented policies, and a lack of systemic coordination often undermine the effectiveness of TPD efforts. These obstacles, though daunting, highlight the critical need for a more coherent, well-supported approach that recognises teachers not merely as implementers but as key agents of educational change and innovation.
Nepal’s current educational landscape reveals that the nation stands at a pivotal crossroads. By thoughtfully integrating local aspirations with global best practices and by prioritising teacher agency, collaboration, and contextual relevance, Nepal has the opportunity to fundamentally reimagine and revitalise its TPD framework. A strong national commitment to teacher growth, one that genuinely honours educators’ contributions and equips them with essential 21st-century skills, is urgently needed. Such an approach would not only enhance English language teaching but also catalyse broader educational transformation, positioning education as a driving force for social and economic development. Only through sustained investment in teacher empowerment can Nepal unlock the full potential of its learners and foster equitable progress across all regions of the country.
References
Acharya, B. (2025). Teachers’ perceptions toward teaching-learning pedagogy and professional development: Insights from Nepal. Acta Educationis Generalis, 15(1).
Borg, S. (2015). Overview-Beyond the workshop: CPD for English language teachers. Professional development for English language teachers: Perspectives from higher education in Turkey. British Council.
Paudel, P. (2019). Learning strategies employed in the English language: Perceptions and practices. Journal of NELTA Gandaki, 1, 87–99.
Ryan, R.M., & Deci, E.L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. The Guilford Press.
Saud, D.S. (2023). English language teacher professional development: Teacher educators’ perceptions and experiences. Bodhi: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 114-135.
Schön, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press.
Author’s Bio: Mr. Dammar Singh Saud is an Assistant Professor of English Language Education at Far Western University. He holds an MA, MEd, and MPhil in ELT and is now pursuing a PhD in TESOL. His research focuses on ELT pedagogy, ICT integration, teacher professional development, and translanguaging practices. An active scholar, he has reviewed articles for peer-reviewed journals and serves as the editor of Exploration and IELTA Nepal’s online magazine. Saud has presented papers at international conferences, contributing to global discussions on English language teaching and fostering innovation in the field. His academic work reflects a dedication to advancing research and practice in ELT. He can be reached at dammarsaud68@gmail.com.
Teaching English in a linguistically diverse classroom presents a complex challenge, particularly in a multilingual context like Nepal, where students bring with them rich linguistic backgrounds from their homes and communities. I teach at Sharada Secondary School, a community school located in Itahari, Sunsari. Since 2022, I have been working with students from various ethno-linguistic backgrounds, including Tharu, Rai, Limbu, Maithili, and Nepali. Reflecting on my experience of teaching English in such a diverse setting, I initially employed an English-only approach as the medium of instruction, instituting rules that enforced speaking only English in the classroom. I felt a sense of satisfaction as the class remained silent. However, after some time, I began to realize that the students’ silence and passivity were not conducive to effective learning. This reflection prompted me to adopt more reflective practices, which are essential for teachers’ professional growth and for addressing the everyday challenges that arise in teaching (Rauteda, 2024b).
The disengagement of my students became a significant concern for me. I encountered numerous challenges during class, particularly regarding student motivation and engagement. I observed that many students were hesitant to speak, fearful of making mistakes, and often remained passive throughout the lessons. This situation forced me to reflect critically on my teaching methods and seek alternative pedagogical approaches. Consequently, I adopted translanguaging as an intervention in the classroom—an approach that allows students to utilize their full linguistic repertoire in the learning process (Gaarcia & Wei, 2014; Phyak, 2018; Rauteda, 2022; 2024a). This reflective writing aims to provide an in-depth analysis of a moment when my teaching successfully engaged the majority of my students through a planned intervention using translanguaging pedagogy within a PAR framework. In this discussion, I outlined what I did, what the students did, and the reasons I believe the lesson was effective, supported by theoretical insights and research findings.
The Problem Identified: A Disengaged and Struggling Classroom
At the beginning of my career, I worked at private colleges in the Kathmandu Valley, where monolingual instruction was preferred in ELT classrooms. This practice shaped my teaching habits. After passing the Teacher Service Commission (TSC) examination, I became a permanent teacher at a government school, where I attempted to apply the methods I had previously used in private colleges. Initially, my English classes were dominated by monolingual practices, focusing solely on English instruction, as dictated by the traditional curriculum. However, I quickly noticed that my students were hesitant to participate. Even basic questions often went unanswered. Their lack of confidence and visible anxiety toward English created a barrier to meaningful engagement. I found my students completely silent in the classroom. Despite using various materials such as pictures, slides, and English-language videos, the students remained passive and showed little interest. I then realized that this silence was a result of implementing a monolingual instructional approach in a multilingual setting. In this context, Garcia and Wei (2014) argue that monolingual methods in multilingual environments can alienate learners and limit their ability to express their understanding.
The students’ silence, lack of participation, and poor writing skills indicated a need for change. I realized that their home languages were being ignored in the classroom, causing English to feel disconnected from their everyday lives. As a teacher in a multilingual community, this contradiction deeply troubled me. One day, I asked my learners in the Nepali language why they remained silent in my class. They explained that they did not understand the language I used during lessons. The majority of them requested that I incorporate both Nepali and English in the classroom to enhance their understanding. Consequently, their demands and my realizations prompted me to seek alternative ways of teaching English in a multilingual context. This led me to consider translanguaging pedagogy through participatory action research (PAR).
Planning for Change: Participatory Action Research as a Tool
In response to students’ disengagement and lack of motivation, I chose to conduct action research within my ELT classroom to address the identified issues. I made this decision with the belief that action research provides practical solutions to everyday challenges and fosters professional growth for teachers (Rauteda, 2025a). Subsequently, I planned to implement PAR, which is a cyclical process comprising planning, acting, observing, and reflecting (Cohen et al., 2018). PAR allowed me to include my students as co-participants in the learning process. I designed a translanguaging-based intervention that enabled students to utilize their full linguistic repertoires (Garcia, 2009; Rauteda, 2022). According to Garcia and Wei (2014), translanguaging involves deploying students’ complete linguistic abilities without strictly adhering to the boundaries typically associated with named languages (national and state languages). Based on the benefits of using hybrid language practices in ELT classrooms, I aimed to employ translingual practices to create space for students’ home languages in the learning environment. Through PAR, I sought to transform my pedagogical approach by engaging students in a culturally and linguistically responsive manner. Additionally, my goal was to enhance student engagement in classroom activities through empowerment, while also seeking pedagogical empowerment for myself.
Conceptual Understanding of Translanguaging
Translanguaging is a language practice used by bilingual and multilingual speakers, wherein individuals naturally, dynamically, and purposefully utilize various languages and linguistic resources simultaneously (Garcia, 2009). This concept was first developed by Cen Williams in 1994, who created opportunities for students to alternate languages in their reading and writing, as well as in their receptive and productive skills (Garcia & Leiva, 2014). Translanguaging refers to the intentional mixing of different languages (Rauteda, 2024a). As Garcia (2009) notes, translanguaging involves the use of multiple linguistic practices by bilingual individuals to navigate their bilingual environments. Multilingual speakers can fluidly transition between languages, viewing their linguistic repertoire as a cohesive system (Canagarajah, 2011). Scholars have referred to translanguaging using various terms, including ‘polylingualism’ (Jorgenson, 2008), ‘metrolingualism’ (Pennycook, 2010), ‘codemeshing’ (Canagarajah, 2011), and ‘pluriliteracy’ (Garcia, 2009). From a language use perspective, translanguaging is a flexible and strategic approach that employs multiple languages (Garcia & Wei, 2014). This approach can assist students in developing both their cognitive and socio-emotional skills while leveraging the diverse and dynamic language practices of learners (Garcia & Kleyn, 2016; Vogel & Garcia, 2017). Consequently, translanguaging serves as a valuable practice for multilingual learners, addressing diversity in the classroom and promoting social justice by maximizing the use of each learner’s linguistic repertoire. It can also empower disadvantaged students who face barriers solely due to language differences. Moreover, Li Wei (2011) introduces the concept of a “translanguaging space,” which serves as a framework illustrating the setting in which students can utilize all their linguistic, cultural, and epistemic assets in the learning process. In my classroom, instead of separating languages, I embraced them as complementary resources. I encouraged students to use languages they are familiar with, such as Tharu, Maithili, Limbu, or Nepali, to express their thoughts, scaffold their learning, and produce creative outputs.
Implementing Translanguaging Pedagogy
As a teacher-researcher, I implemented translanguaging using various strategies at different stages. In the following sections, I present details on how I enacted translanguaging within a PAR framework, the impact of this intervention on my teaching, and what the intervention achieved. This information is organized into themes and subthemes.
Designing the Activity
I designed an activity focused on creating or collecting stories in the languages that students are proficient in. The purpose of this activity was to enhance their writing skills, encourage interaction, and appreciate local knowledge. Additionally, it aimed to promote co-learning and bridge the gap between the classroom, content, and community.
For this task, I divided the class into eight heterogeneous groups, mixing students from different language backgrounds. This grouping encouraged peer learning and cross-cultural dialogue. Each group created and collected stories in their preferred languages. They then presented these stories in the classroom and discussed them among group members. After the discussions, the stories were translated into multiple languages, including Tharu, Nepali, English, and Rai. Finally, the stories were compiled and presented as multilingual, multimodal storybooks. As a post-method teacher, I aimed to theorize my practice and apply theoretical concepts, using these activities to scaffold my students’ learning. I wanted to connect them with their culture, language, and community. Consequently, this activity aligned with Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, particularly the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which emphasizes the importance of social interaction and scaffolding in learning (Vygotsky, 1978).
What the Students Were Doing
Students engaged in various activities both individually and in groups. They created and collected stories, participated in discussions, made presentations, translated texts, transformed stories into multimodal formats, and even organized them into a book. Their involvement in these activities led to significant changes in their behavior and attitudes. The intervention fostered collaboration, cooperation, engagement, and motivation among the students, helping them develop a sense of agency (Rauteda, 2022; 2024; Rauteda & Luitel, 2025; Rauteda, 2025b). Moreover, this experience transformed the students’ behavior. Those who had previously remained silent became active participants, displaying excitement while collecting stories from elders in their communities. Sharing these stories in class instilled a sense of pride in them. They began to view their languages and cultures not as obstacles but as bridges to learning English. In their groups, students discussed word choices, translated idioms, and assisted one another in crafting coherent narratives. The classroom evolved into a lively, collaborative space filled with energy and multilingual dialogue. Students not only practiced English but also enhanced their thinking, reading, and writing skills.
What I Was Doing as a Teacher
As a teacher, I shifted my role from the sole authority to a facilitator and co-learner. I moved around the groups, providing language support, answering questions, and encouraging dialogue. I praised their efforts in both languages and emphasized the value of their home languages. Instead of correcting every mistake, I focused on meaning-making and creative expression. I also created space for students to present their stories to the whole class, which boosted their confidence. This student-centered pedagogy reflects Freire’s concept of dialogic education (Freire, 1970), where learning emerges through mutual dialogue and respect.
Classroom Outcomes of Translanguaging Pedagogy through PAR
The primary objective of implementing this pedagogical strategy was to enhance student engagement in ELT classrooms and to develop students’ writing proficiency in English. The integration of translanguaging pedagogy within a PAR framework proved to be particularly effective in a multilingual and culturally diverse classroom. This approach not only supported students’ linguistic and academic growth but also improved classroom management by fostering greater learner participation, collaboration, and empowerment. Through this intervention, students were encouraged to draw upon their full linguistic repertoires, which made learning more inclusive, dynamic, and responsive to their lived experiences. The following sub-sections illustrate the transformative outcomes of this pedagogical approach, highlighting how translanguaging through PAR contributed to culturally and linguistically responsive teaching, enhanced literacy and language development, increased learner agency, and strengthened classroom relationships.
Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Pedagogy
Teaching is more effective when it is closely connected to culture and language. Research studies (Garcia & Wei, 2014; Phyak, 2023; Rauteda, 2022) have shown that language instruction is most effective when linguistic and cultural diversity are celebrated and respected in the classroom. Furthermore, these practices can lead to increased engagement, motivation, and academic achievement (Gay, 2010). During the project, the students worked on local phenomena. They wrote, collected, and translated stories from their local context and even used their home language. This practice helped them connect with their culture. By validating cultural norms and local languages, I was able to teach in a culturally and linguistically responsive way. It fostered the students’ identities and made them proud of their culture and language, which boosted their confidence. Throughout the project, the students became more motivated and confident, and they developed a more positive attitude towards their learning. By integrating home languages into the classroom, I created a safe space where students felt seen, respected, and capable. Thus, translanguaging enabled me to be accountable to local culture and language, enhancing my students’ engagement and motivation in the classroom.
Enhanced Literacy and Language Skills
The intervention significantly enhanced both literacy and language skills among the students. Through activities such as storytelling, translation, and group discussions, students cultivated a range of literacies. They learned to navigate between languages, structure narratives, and articulate complex ideas. This aligns with Hornberger’s (2003) “Continua of biliteracy” model, which advocates for literacy development across diverse languages and modalities. Furthermore, as students engaged in tasks like searching for equivalent words in online dictionaries and Google, they also improved their digital literacy. Ultimately, they became more familiar with the structure and organization of books. This experience demonstrates that involving students in multilingual activities can effectively foster both language skills and digital literacy.
Increased Participation and Agency
Agency refers to an individual’s capacity to act, initiate actions, self-regulate, or effect change in their circumstances. It can also be viewed as a form of resistance (Giddens, 1984; Ortner, 1984). Additionally, agency encompasses an individual’s ability to apply principles or theories in specific contexts. In this case, the intervention served to enhance the agency of both the teacher and the students, as they challenged the monolingual instruction and enacted micro-level resistance in the classroom through translanguaging (Rauteda & Luitel, 2025). Moreover, the students assumed greater ownership of their learning. Group work fostered accountability and collaboration, empowering them to become autonomous learners willing to take risks in their education. Consequently, they developed a stronger connection with each other and the classroom environment. Their engagement increased as they transitioned from passive recipients of knowledge to active creators of knowledge.
Building Relationships
Establishing a good rapport is crucial for effective teaching and learning. In my research, the intervention played a significant role in fostering positive relationships between the teacher and students, as well as among the learners themselves. The activities allowed me to connect with my students on a deeper level, enabling me to learn about their lives, traditions, and communication styles. This emotional connection not only built trust, which is vital for successful learning, but also encouraged students to share personal experiences, which has proven beneficial for their psychological well-being. As they began to support one another, share ideas, and collaborate, they expressed a preference for group work as part of their assignments. As a result, teaching became more effective, promoting linguistic inclusivity, collaborative learning, real-world applications, a redefined role for teachers and students, and opportunities for creative expression.
Conclusion
This reflective narrative demonstrates how the implementation of translanguaging pedagogy within a PAR framework significantly enhanced learner engagement in a multilingual English classroom. By integrating students’ home languages alongside English, I was able to create a culturally responsive environment where learners felt valued, confident, and motivated. The intervention not only promoted active participation, literacy development, and student agency but also transformed my own role from a traditional authority figure to a facilitator and co-learner.
The experience reveals several key insights. First, monolingual approaches can silence learners in linguistically diverse classrooms, whereas translanguaging affirms students’ linguistic and cultural identities. Second, translanguaging fosters collaboration and mutual respect, enabling learners to connect classroom activities with the knowledge they bring from their communities. Third, these practices contribute to broader educational goals by promoting equity and social justice in language teaching.
For teachers in similar contexts, this reflection suggests that translanguaging can serve as a potent pedagogical tool for bridging gaps between students’ lived experiences and classroom learning. Although this account is based on a specific classroom experience, it emphasizes the importance of embracing multilingual resources in ELT. Future reflective and research-based studies could further explore how translanguaging can be systematically integrated into classroom practices across Nepal.
References
Canagarajah, S. (2011). Translanguaging in the classroom: Emerging issues for research and pedagogy. Applied Linguistics Review, 2(1), 1–28.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2018). Research methods in education. Routledge.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Herder and Herder.
Garcia, O. & Leiva, C. (2014). Theorizing and enacting translanguaging for social justice. In Blackledge, A., & Creese, A. (eds.), Heteroglossia as practice and pedagogy (pp. 199-216). Springer.
García, O. (2009). Bilingual education for the 21st century: A global perspective. Wiley Black-Well.
Garcia, O., & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education. Palgrave Macmillan.
Garcia, O., and Kleyn, T. (2016). Translanguaging theory in education. In O. Garcia and T. Kleyn (eds), Translanguaging with multilingual students, (pp. 23–47). Routledge.
Gay, G. (2010). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. Teachers College Press.
Giddens, A. (1984). Constitution of society polity press. Cambridge.
Hornberger, N. H. (2003). Continua of biliteracy. Multilingual Matters.
Jorgensen, J. N. (2008). Polylingual languaging around and among children and adolescents. International Journal of Multilingualism, 5(3), 161–176.
Li, W. (2011). Moment analysis and translanguaging space: Discursive construction of identities by multilingual Chinese youth in Britain. Journal of Pragmatics, 43(5), 1222-1235.
Ortner, S. B. (1984). Theory in anthropology since the sixties. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 26(1), 126-166.
Pennycook, A. 2010. Language as a local practice. Routledge.
Phyak, P. (2018). Translanguaging as a pedagogical resource in English language teaching: A response to unplanned language education policies in Nepal. In K. Kuchah & F. Shamim (Eds.), International Perspectives in Teaching English in Difficult Circumstances (pp. 49-70). Palgrave.
Phyak, P. (2023). Translanguaging as a space of simultaneity: theorizing translanguaging pedagogies in English medium schools from a spatial perspective. Modern Language Journal, 107(1), 289-307.
Rauteda, K. R. (2022). Translanguaging as a pedagogical resource in multilingual ELT classrooms: Exploring perceptions and practices [Master’s Thesis]. Tribhuvan University.
Rauteda, K. R. (2024a). Unveiling pedagogical translanguaging: Investigating teachers’ translingual practices and purposes in ELT classrooms. English Language Teaching Perspectives, 9(1-2), 51–66.
Rauteda, K. R. (2024b). Bending back to the professional activities: Unveiling the role of reflective practice in teachers’ professional development. Journal of NELTA Gandaki, 7(1-2), 98–110.
Rauteda, K. R. (2025a). English language teachers’ knowledge, use, and perceived effectiveness of action research for professional development. Indonesian Journal of English Language Studies (IJELS), 11(1), 39-52.
Rauteda, K. R. (2025b). Translanguaging for transformation: Identity, equity, and pedagogical resistance in Nepalese ELT classrooms. Indonesian Journal of English Language Studies (IJELS), 11(2), 150-162.
Rauteda, K. R., & Luitel, B. (2025). Teachers’ pedagogical resistance of EMI through classroom translanguaging in Nepalese science classrooms. IJIET (International Journal of Indonesian Education and Teaching), 9(2), 441-456.
Vogel, S., & García, O. (2017). Translanguaging. In G. Noblit & L. Moll (Eds.). Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. Oxford University Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Author’s Bio: Mr. Khem Raj Rauteda is an MPhil scholar at the Graduate School of Education, Tribhuvan University, and a Lecturer of English Education at Janta Multiple Campus, Itahari. He has been actively involved in academic publishing for over five years, contributing research articles to both national and international journals. Rauteda has also served as a reviewer for several scholarly publications and has presented numerous papers at national and international conferences. His areas of interest are Translanguaging, CDA, Multilingualism, and Teachers’ Professional Development. He can be reached at krauteda@gmail.com.
Aristotle urges us to be a master of metaphors to grasp a living reality of a thing. Following the footsteps of Aristotle, George Lakoff and M. Johnson introduce a perspective on metaphor—a perspective that takes metaphor as imaginative rationality. Admittedly, I am inspired by these two theorists. My inspiration is that I could not help using a simile to share my modest success in getting some of my responses to Call for Conference Proposals (CFP) accepted: Writing changes: remaking rhetoric in times of uncertainty organized by Corridors 2022 at Virginia Tech University, and Geographies of the Fantastic and the Quotidian organized by Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association (PAMLA) 2022 at University of Los Angeles California. For Corridors, I developed a paper entitled “Pedagogical Emasculation in the Wake of AI’s Growing Applications”, and for PAMLA, I submitted an abstract with the title “Backsliding New Materialism and a Resurgence of Interest in Virtue Ethics and Anthropomorphism”.
While responding to these two CFPs successfully, I came to know that responding to a CFP is almost similar to being a gentleman caller. Forgive my wild rush to John Dryden called ‘yoking heterogeneous ideas by violence’. More technically, responding to CFP and being a gentleman caller are distinctly disparate realms of activities. Just as forwarding a love/marriage proposal without paying sufficient courtship to a lady for a quite bit of time may backfire and probably end in rejection, so is answering to CFP without doing an extensive inquiry and without having background information on the topic. Any rush to reply to the CFP may backfire on the responder, often ending in outright rejection, which might weaken confidence and concentration. It is this point of commonality that pushed me to choose this figural trope. The fate of being a jilted lover is a bitter pill to swallow for any obsessed lover, in much the same way as it is for a responder to cope with the rejection of the abstract submission to CFP. With this figural gesture, I would like to reflect on my experience of responding to a host of CFPs.
We have seen many calls for proposals (CFP): CFP for conferences; CFP for book chapters and journal articles; CFP for intermezzo and review essays; CFP for web texts and digital projects; CFP for a success story and cross-border narrative; CFP for blogs and reflective writings, CFP for cases of advocacy, activism, and intervention; and to name just a few. Scholars, researchers, and instructors alike tend to respond to different CFPs they come across. Every responder to CFP deploys a nuanced approach. In spite of each scholar’s unique response style to CFP, there should be a few widely practised formularies to deal with CFP. Based on a few instances of my success in responding to CFP, I would like to craft a short account of responding to CFP.
In trying to emerge as a conference hopper, I kept exploring many other venues that organize national and international conferences such as the New Berry Library Conference (NBLC), Popular Culture Association (PCA), Modern Language Association (MLA) Pedagogical Training and Workshop, Northeast Modern Language Association (NEMLA), Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), Rhetoric Society of Europe (RSE), Rhetoric Society of America (RSA) and the list goes on. Actually, these venues release CFPs that tend to address any aspect of burgeoning issues, ranging from colonial reckoning, the rhetoric of precarity and the rise of authoritarianism to social justice, the linguistic justice, power and precarity attendant to AI’s growing application in learning and teaching space. Being well informed of all these burgeoning issues and of relevant proposals to address the issue constitute a core competency on each CFP responder’s part. Based on these two and various other successive experiences of responding to CFP, I would like to talk about some tips and strategies with which I succeeded in getting my conference proposals approved. I presented at a conference scheduled to take place at the University of Virginia Tech. Similarly, another conference proposal of mine was also accepted. In the second week of November 2022, I presented at a conference at the University of California, Los Angeles.
First, getting to the heart of an issue that takes centre stage in the CFP description is essential if we are to touch all the bases of CFP. While describing an issue/topic for CFP, the CFP issuer tends to be specific in producing an outline of the issue; at the same time, they often write, ‘the CFP moves around this topic, but not limited to…’, to allow for a somewhat flexible space to explore and probe the proposed issue.
Previously, while formulating an excellent abstract draft for a conference call, I used to take a general approach without homing in on a specific aspect of the CFP. After multiple rounds of rejection, I learned that people want to listen to specific things. Though the conference offers a smorgasbord of various potential topics, it would be in our best interest to dwell on the specificity of the issue. As soon as I shirked off this tendency to drift away from the axis of specificity, I realized that it wouldn’t be challenging to hit the target with the single most focused thrust to the specificity. To this end, it appears that any temptation toward delving deep into the topic in a manner most lithe and supple because exploring any issue by being specific is crucial to the acceptance success of a response to CFP. As to some heuristics and nuances with which the exploration of an issue would lead to a reliable unfolding of the issue, I have come to propose here: Test the efficacy of the issue in different cultural contexts, check on its limit, be aware of its fallibility, assess if its relevance is rooted in time and occasion, reflect on its impact on our normative practice and pragmatic life, and finally stretch your imaginative faculty to probe the issue under consideration with a detached mindset. The simultaneous shifts in my mindset led me to come across an acceptable topic for the CFP I was managing to respond to.
Second, though the power of forming a fresh, attention-grabbing, and shift-stimulating perspective of any responder to CFP is highly valued, the ability to introduce this perspective tactfully and without a lag matters the most. To translate this realization into action, I reflected on my expectations about how CFP evaluators take my abstract submission and what metric they would apply to assess the submitted abstract. I also pondered if their metrics and criteria remain consistent or if they apply abstract-specific metrics. I did my best to align the core thrust of my conference abstract with the CFP evaluators’ submission-specific yardstick of judgment. At the top of my talent, I aimed at ‘striking the right chord’; with the right chord being struck precisely, the net outcome is an acceptance call.
Third, the responder to CFP should not come to terms with the issue on the first go. Instead, the responder should let the proposed issue come to terms with a cumulative effort to develop a fresh perspective. For this, curious and consistent immersion in the latent and the manifest dimensions of the issue is required of those who play what Peter Elbow calls the Believing and Doubting Game. The fourth point is the assertion that with the idea of responding to CFP comes the responsibility to CFP. CFP wishes to garner a wide range of ideas, thoughts, propositions, perspectives, comments, questions, critiques, and curiosities. Most CFPs expect a concrete contribution of ideas to the platform the CFP is creating. Thus, every responder to CFP needs to internalize that to respond to CFP is to contribute something new, a fresh perspective, a nuanced approach to dealing with the proposed issue anew, a distinct approach indeed!
The fifth point that guided my approach to responding to CFPs is being aware that often CFPs asks for a fresh take on burgeoning issue/problem. Any response to CFP should look like a solution. Adopting a down-to-earth overture is a curtain-raiser to grappling with CFP head-on. The sixth tip comes in the guise of tonality. Maintaining an insistent tone serves two-pronged purposes: one is to bracket off any interference from digressive and deluding thoughts, and the other is to help the proposed perspective gain purchase. The use of an insistent tone wards off any trace of opaqueness that might arise while homing in on the target expectation of CFP. A response to CFP needs to be formed in keeping with the persistent presumption that whether others accept a proposal or not hinges on the same tone underpinning the proposal’s substratum.
The seventh clue to conveying a response to CFP is tricky. Throughout career-building in the academic field, students, scholars, and instructors respond to different types of CFP. Their responses often vary from acceptance and partial acceptance to outright rejection. In the case of outright rejection, it might be tough to bear the brunt of rejection, which might sap the spirit and entelechy one has been cultivating since the beginning of one’s academic footprint. In this condition of being in a low spirit due to sporadic rejection, one must groom oneself with a philosophical maxim, dictum, or conviction. In the wake of angst and anxiety consequent upon the rejection of any response to CFP, it would be tactful if one with the experience of rejection switches instantly from the erstwhile mental frame of lapsing into frustration and lamentation to a new mindset informed by the conviction that having been rejected means being hurled on the rose bed of renewal.
The last trick that may prove pivotal is catching a glimpse of and acting following the zeitgeist of contemporaneity that by and now diffuses across the world of CFPs. The spirit and entelechy of inclusion have penetrated every stroke of knowledge-making. Any linguistic shred and fragment are redolent of an alienating, exclusionary, and unjust practice, triggering a domino effect that ultimately spoils the inherent acceptability of the proposed perspective, no matter how full the proposal would be. All these strategic clues ultimately come down to a praxis that justice-fostering, dignity-ennobling, and identity-acknowledging rather than a collocational, standardized, and stereotypes-filled language pave the way for enriching the acceptability of proposed response to CFP.
Graduate students preparing to enter the job market are always hard-pressed to devote their whole time to completing their dissertation research. Nevertheless, they must invest more time in responding to CFPs for conferences, book reviews, review essays, success narratives, cross-border narratives, writing about their observation, and reflective writing. Since responding to the CFPs for a book chapter, journal articles, and intermezzo requires both intensive and extensive efforts, involvement, and time, it is relevant to conclude that trying to catch low-hanging fruit is an appropriate option for them. However, in no way should it not be understood as an underestimation of the potency and potentiality of graduate students inching closer to a threshold of the job market because there is quite an incredible number of graduate students who have already adorned their CVs with gems of their productive scholarship. However, speaking from a practical perspective and arguing in consideration of the pressure of time, including plenty of both teaching and administrative responsibility on the part of graduate students, there is every reason to advise that trying to catch low-hanging fruit still sounds like a lucrative and economical alternative for graduate students. In connection with this, responding to the CFPs for a conference, book review, review essay, essay on graduate student’s observation, and reflective writing such as cross-border narrative would be inviting and enticing for Ph.D. candidates on the verge of graduation who have built up a professional mindset of plunging into the job market soon.
At last, I would like to opine my thoughts on a type of stereotype that recurs in most of the announcements of CFP. On seeing sentences—such as ‘for book reviews and review essays, graduate students are encouraged and welcomed to contribute’—I felt irreparably stung by a scorpion of inferiority and of being pigeonholed. A query flashed across my mind instantly. There anyone, including me, could not but ask a question—why cannot graduate students, especially PhD candidates, respond to higher CFPs? The answer is obvious. In a general sense, responding to the higher CFPs demands time, resources and involvement. Graduate students are busy people who have a lot of work to do. I too was not an exception to this condition. Therefore, I was occasionally pained to see this sentence, but now I have mastered such a normal thought. With this unpleasant stream of thought, I would like to cut a long story short by saying that trying to catch low-hanging fruit—CFPs for conferences, book reviews, review essays, and reflective and observational writings—is a wise approach to redressing the harsh rhetoric of publish or perish. For clarity’s sake, I have presented below some pointers that could be helpful for any responder responding to a CFP:
Read and understand the CFP: It is in our best interest to go through the CFP document to understand the theme, topic, and requirements. Supportive here is the idea of paying attention to guidelines, word limits, formatting instructions, and submission deadlines.
Choose the right topic: Selecting a topic that aligns well with the theme of the conference or event is of enormous importance. Responders ought to make sure their research is relevant and innovative. Being mindful of the contributions the responder’s abstract makes is worth pondering.
Prepare an abstract: Of all the pointers pivotal to making a success of responding to CFP, crafting a compelling abstract that summarizes our paper or presentation is instrumental. So, the responder needs to clearly state the problem they are addressing, their methodological choice, and critical ideas and insights. It is good to ensure that the abstract is concise and engaging. The most crucial thing is the need to capture the attention of the reviewers.
Follow the submission guidelines: Successful responders to CFP ought to adhere to the submission guidelines provided by the organizers. They should pay close attention to formatting requirements, citation styles, and any specific file formats they may request.
Highlight your contribution: Each scholarly and institutional venue tends to judge an individual contributor to CFP in terms of their contribution. To that end, it is essential for them to clearly articulate the unique contribution of their work. The key to mastering this hurdle is to explain how it fills a gap in the existing literature, provides novel insights, or offers a fresh perspective. The responder need not dither about emphasizing their research’s significance and potential impact.
Present your qualifications: In an age in which an assertion is evaluated vis-à-vis self, highlighting our expertise, qualifications, and relevant experience in the field we are part of is of paramount importance. To buttress our credibility as responders to CFPs, providing a brief overview of our academic or professional background is imperative to establish credibility.
Proofread and edit: Before turning in our response to CFPs, it would be a cautionary measure to carefully proofread and edit our paper or abstract. If we ensure that our abstract is well-structured, free of grammatical errors, and coherent, it will be accepted. This is the principle we all need to live by. For that purpose, we can opt for feedback on our abstract from colleagues or mentors to improve the quality of our writing.
Meet the deadline: Submitting our response without crossing the specified deadline is advantageous because late submissions are typically not accepted. Hence, being proactive and active while planning our time and allowing for ample review and revision is of utmost importance.
Tailor your response: What matters most is the customization of our response to the specific requirements of the CFP. Reviewers are interested in hearing specific things; no one likes hearing general things. Thus, it is good to keep any idea of submitting generic or recycled content at bay. Tuning our response with the particular and genuine requirement is pivotal to actualizing the chance of acceptance.
Be professional and courteous: Since being soft and gracious matters a lot, it would be beneficial if they interact with the organizers and reviewers professionally and respectfully if they respond promptly to any inquiries or requests for additional information. The secret formulary to heighten our chance of having our abstract approved is one associated with living with a growth mindset and collaborative disposition throughout the process.
Works Cited
Garver, E. (1994). Aristotle’s rhetoric: An art of character. University of Chicago Press.
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (2008). Metaphors we live by. University of Chicago Press.
About the Author: Shiva Mainaly is a PhD in rhetoric and composition from the University of Louisville. Currently, at North Dakota State University (NDSU), he will become a postdoctoral research fellow from August 2023. A prolific author, he has published numerous articles in prestigious journals like the Journal of International Students, Constellation, and Composition Studies.
“I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.’’ ~ Lily Tomlin
As a teacher, every day I enter the class, I feel like it is my first day in my teaching career. I have been teaching for more than 13 years. My greatest inspiration is my father who served at the same private school in India for 25 years. I sense that I have inherited strong qualities from him for instance, to motivate the students, listen to them and help them with some suggestions. Back in my childhood days, I used to hear lots of stories about students’ lives and problems shared through my father and how he supported them throughout. Back then I didn’t really focus on those stories much, but now as a teacher, I am experiencing the need for motivation in my students. Along with being a great motivator for his students, my father was also strict in his principles. As time changes, the way of teaching method also changes. However, the role of a teacher as a motivator for students always remains the same. Students’ life is not only limited to their academic achievements, they are to be prepared for their lives.
One of the most significant aspects of a student’s educational experience is their academic performance, which is determined by a variety of psychological factors that might create an impact on their cognitive, emotional, and behavioural functioning. Among those psychological factors, motivation is one of the most important psychological variables that might affect student performance.
Motivation is what pushes them to participate in learning activities, finish their assignment and be prepared for their future. It is one of the psychological factors that affect students’ performance. Firstly, most of the students’ lives are full of chaos since the widespread pandemic has left many negative effects on their lives. Secondly, they are unable to set up a fixed goal for themselves and they are easily distracted by common factors. Lastly, their attention span and patience level are very low and they are hardly able to possess a determined mindset.
A real-life example of this is one of my students who had been affected in her academic performance due to a lack of motivation. Before the pandemic, she was one of the top ten students in her class. She was not only good at academics but was extremely creative. We were very satisfied and impressed with her creativity. She was a happy and lively child. During the lockdown, we weren’t able to meet physically and we were obligated to conduct the online classes. It seemed everything was going well during the online classes. However, when the physical classes resumed, I noticed a drastic change in her behaviour. I felt that it was because of the gap in which we were not able to keep in touch with students’ activities during online classes.
Last year, she was in grade 8. I was her English teacher. The charm on her face, her lively and radiant personality and her curiosity to learn new things were no longer visible on her face. I noticed but waited until the result of the first terminal examination. When I saw the result, I was stunned to see that her performance was not as good as before. The next day, I decided to have a conversation with her parents. Unfortunately, they didn’t come to school to meet me. After two days, I called her in my leisure period and had a talk with her. At first, she was reluctant to share her feelings with me. She gave me a fake smile and told me that she would try her level best in the upcoming examinations. I knew that she was hiding something from me and felt uncomfortable to share it. I reminded her about the days when she was very cheerful, ready to take part in all extracurricular activities and make us happy with her creative work on various occasions. Her eyes were filled with tears. And she wept in front of me. My intention wasn’t to hurt her but to help her. She revealed her family issues, which demotivated her to do anything related to her studies and all. Her family environment wasn’t favourable enough for her to concentrate on her studies well. Her family issues started during the pandemic. She loved to come to school every day, meet her friends and teachers. However, she wasn’t able to concentrate on her studies. I talked to her for around 30 minutes that day and asked her to go to class.
I discussed her issue with my colleagues and came up with many solutions to motivate her and to recover her own position on academics from that day on. In my class, I encouraged my students in various ways for at least five minutes before I start teaching. Furthermore, I managed to engage her in creative activities during the leisure time. She is interested in painting, journaling and crafting. I encouraged her to present some decorative articles for classroom decorations. I felt that other students might also be going through similar situations. I tried to build a strong rapport with everybody, sometimes communicated with them casually about their problems and made them feel comfortable to start conversations with me. I became a friendly figure for my students and they were comfortable sharing their concerns. Besides studies, I came to know that students’ achievement was affected by various psychological factors which provoked me to adoption of different ways to motivate my students and assist them to solve their problems for at least five minutes during my class.
After 2 months, I noticed that the previous charm and the similar curiosity that she possessed before had thread recovered. From that time to time, I talked to her and made her feel at ease and motivated her. Sometimes, I spent my classes just listening to them. I felt that being a teacher, my responsibility won’t be complete if I am unable to motivate my students and help them to overcome various obstacles in life. The girl came to her original position and she was very happy with the small efforts that I made for her. She started to show her good performance in studies and other aspects. I was very happy and felt like my small efforts helped my student to recognize her talent and to regain her academic success.
Now the girl is in Grade 9 and luckily, I am her class teacher. She is very happy to be in my section. On that day, I learnt a great lesson that a teacher’s responsibility is not just limited to teaching a class. The greatest achievement in a teacher’s life is when they are able to make a difference in their lives. I have learnt to motivate the learners from my father and am always determined to prepare for a better future. This is one of my best experiences that I will never forget in my life. Various students are often impacted by many psychological factors that affect them academically. As the teaching-learning process is a continuous process, I should continue to explore the problems of my students and the ways to help them overcome their difficulties which keeps them to achieve their best performance in academic achievement.
To conclude, I experienced myself as a motivator besides an English language teacher in my teaching career by understanding the psychological problems of my students which were invisible to me that caused deterioration in academic performance. My father’s experiences assisted me to play the role of an effective motivator. To elevate the academic performance of my students, I played the role of a motivator. To motivate my students, I analyzed the problems of my students, heard their past stories, communicated with the parents and teachers and created a favourable learning space for the students. I strongly suggest all the parents and teachers make a healthy environment for them to share their problems, hear their past stories, and always encourage and inspire them to do better in their academics. As a teacher, let’s give students something more to think about at home than just burdening them with homework.
About the Author: Sangeeta Basnet is an English Language Teacher. She has been teaching English for more than 10 years. Currently. She is serving in one of the renowned private schools in Birtamode. She holds a Master’s degree from Manipur University, India. She is a life member of NELTA and STFT. Her professional interests include teaching strategies used in ELT classes.
Growing up in a middle-class family with five siblings, my formative years were shaped by the love and care of my elders, instilling in me a sense of confidence and freedom. Among them, my father emerged as the most influential figure, guiding me with his hard work and selfless values. As I reflect on my educational journey and professional life, I realize how my father’s schooling continues to resonate, impacting my academic pursuits and shaping me into an educator who seeks to inspire and transform the lives of others.
The Enduring Legacy of My Father: Inspiring Values in My Academic Journey
Growing up in a modest family in the Baitadi district, my father’s determination, love for education, and selflessness left an indelible impact on my values, beliefs, and personal growth.
Despite their humble circumstances, my father’s family recognized the transformative power of education, impressing upon him the importance of prioritizing learning for a brighter future. Embracing this wisdom, he excelled academically and obtained top honours in the Kanchanpur district, the western part of Nepal. Working part-time to support his further studies, he completed B.Ed. in mathematics from Tribhuvan University, Nepal, and devoted over 36 years to teaching secondary-level mathematics in rural areas.
My father’s life experiences taught me the value of hard work, honesty, and unwavering determination to achieve my goals. His struggles also instilled in me a sense of gratitude for the opportunities I have today. His most profound lesson, however, was selflessness, his unwavering dedication to his family and society left an indelible impression on my character. As I pursued my academic journey, my father’s influence continued to guide me. Although my circumstances were more privileged, his lessons taught me that diligence and integrity make success possible.
His teachings not only shaped me as a good person but also as an authentic individual. I am determined to pass these invaluable lessons to my future family and students. With his enduring legacy as my compass, I seek to inspire and transform lives, just as my father has done throughout his remarkable journey.
Empowerment Through Education: A Personal Academic Journey
My academic journey commenced at home, where my family played the role of my first teachers, introducing me to alphabet belts and basic numbers. Though I began my formal education in a government school like my siblings, I had the privilege of studying in private (boarding) school (first in my family). This choice garnered public attention and prestige in our village, underscoring the value of education.
During my primary education, I excelled in memorization-based learning, securing top positions in my class. However, the system of rote learning limited my true understanding of the subjects. Shifting to government education posed initial challenges due to larger and more diverse classes, but I adapted over time, benefiting from a more flexible learning environment, albeit lacking student-centred approaches.
Upon completing my SLC, I went to Nainital India for my I.Sc., however I realized that my I.Sc. didn’t align with my interests, and faced language difficulties and homesickness. My family, understanding my predicament gave me the freedom to decide my academic path, leading me back to Mahendranagar, my hometown.
Embracing my interest in English, I pursued I.A. with English as my major subject. My academic journey continued rapidly, culminating in a B.A. with a major in English from Mahendranagar. My pursuit of higher education led me to Kathmandu, where I completed my M.A. in English literature from the central department of English in Kirtipur, achieving a first division. During my master’s studies, I harboured aspirations of becoming a police officer, inspired by the bold heroes of Hindi movies. However, my passion for teaching gradually surfaced, steering me away from the police force.
In this journey, education has played a pivotal role in empowering me intellectually. It provided me with knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities, enabling me to navigate various academic pursuits successfully. Furthermore, education has empowered me economically by opening doors to career opportunities and professional growth, allowing me to contribute meaningfully to society.
Education also fosters social empowerment, equipping me with the ability to share knowledge, mentor others, and contribute to the transformation of education in Nepal. Through my role as an educator, I have had the privilege of training teacher educators, presenting research papers at national and international conferences, and integrating innovative teaching strategies with ICT in language classrooms.
As I reflect on my academic journey, I recognize that education has been the key to my empowerment in multiple dimensions. Not only has it enriched my personal and professional life, but it has also instilled a deep sense of responsibility to empower others through the dissemination of knowledge and a commitment to transformative education.
Empowering Teaching Through Innovative Integration of ICT
As I embarked on my teaching journey at Darchula Multiple Campus, Khalanga, Darchula, Nepal in 2009 after completing my M.A. in English Literature from Tribhuvan University, I initially questioned whether teaching would become my true passion and profession. Not having an ELT background, my first experiences in university-level ELT classes left me feeling somewhat apprehensive. However, the positive responses and appreciation from both students and colleagues ignited a newfound enjoyment in teaching, leading me to realize that teaching was indeed my passion.
To improve my teaching skills and enhance my expertise in English Language Education further, I pursued a one-year B.Ed. and M.Ed. from Tribhuvan University. Determined to stay up to date with the latest pedagogy and educational technologies, I delved into integrating ICT into my ELT classrooms. The availability of ICT infrastructure, including computer labs, laptops, projectors, multimedia smart boards, and internet facilities, provided valuable tools to enrich the teaching and learning process.
The integration of ICT, though initially challenging, proved to be a motivating force in my teaching practices. Participating in various training sessions, workshops, webinars, and conferences, and learning from online resources like YouTube videos, I gradually adapted to using ICT more effectively in language classrooms. My colleagues often sought technical support from me when incorporating educational software such as MS Teams and Zoom during the transition to online classes amidst the pandemic.
Witnessing my students’ satisfaction and a keen interest in my classes further fueled my motivation to innovate in teaching by strategically incorporating ICT. A significant incident that highlights this impact occurred on 5th July 2021 when I was allowed to conduct ICT training for my colleagues at Far Western University Darchula Multiple Campus Khalanga Darchula. The training focused on using MS Team for upcoming online classes, and it became evident that many faculty members lacked familiarity with ICT in education. Their enthusiasm to learn and improve their ICT practices was inspiring. Guiding them through the basic functionalities of MS Team, such as creating class schedules, adding students as members, conducting quizzes, and facilitating group discussions, the session proved to be both engaging and fruitful, garnering appreciative comments from the participants and the dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Despite facing challenges within the academic environment and culture, where well-performing teachers are sometimes undervalued or discriminated against based on political affiliations, I have remained steadfast in fulfilling my professional duties honestly and responsibly. The support and belief from my family, friends, and students have been instrumental in sustaining my resilience.
Through the transformative power of education and the innovative integration of ICT, my passion for teaching has flourished, empowering me intellectually and professionally. Beyond my personal growth, I aspire to be an agent of change, promoting the meaningful use of ICT in education and contributing to the advancement of the educational landscape in Nepal.
M.Phil. at Kathmandu University as a Gateway for Transformation
I decided to pursue an MPhil in English language education from Kathmandu University with the unwavering support and encouragement from my family, friends, and students. Their belief in my abilities and the significance of advancing my academic journey propelled me to seek an institution that would catalyze personal growth and transformation. In this esteemed institution, I got amazing mentors, whose mentorship equipped me with both theoretical knowledge and practical competencies, instilling in me the confidence to implement cutting-edge teaching strategies and adapt to the ever-evolving needs of my future students. Through their guidance, I deepened my understanding of English language education and acquired the necessary skills to become a proficient teacher for 21st-century learners. Engaging in teacher professional development activities, I was exposed to innovative teaching methods, educational technologies, and effective pedagogical approaches that are most relevant in today’s dynamic classroom environments.
Furthermore, the vibrant academic environment at Kathmandu University fostered a strong sense of community among fellow students. Collaborative projects, discussions, and academic events enriched my learning experience and provided me with diverse perspectives on educational practices. This supportive network of peers and colleagues further contributed to my personal and professional growth, creating a nurturing environment for exploration and intellectual development.
During my M.Phil. journey at Kathmandu University, I experienced a profound personal transformation and achieved notable professional growth. Embracing innovative teaching strategies, I contributed to the academic field through publications and disseminated knowledge to a broader audience. Additionally, my academic journey extended into teacher education and research, as I provided training and presented research papers at national and international conferences, contributing to the advancement of Nepal’s education system. This transformation has empowered me with the confidence to foster positive change and cultivate a passion for learning among future generations.
Summing up
My academic journey has been a transformative experience, catalyzed by the influence of my father’s dedication to education and selflessness. From the early years of learning at home to my pursuit of higher education at Kathmandu University, I have been intellectually and professionally empowered. By integrating innovative teaching methods and ICT in the language classroom, I have witnessed heightened student engagement and satisfaction. This journey has also enabled me to contribute actively to the field through my publications and knowledge-sharing endeavours with fellow educators. Supported by the unwavering belief of my family, friends, and students, I am determined to leverage the transformative power of education, creating a positive impact on the lives of students, and fostering progress within Nepal’s education landscape as I continue to evolve as an educator and researcher.
About the Author: Dammar Singh Saud is an assistant professor at Far Western University, Nepal. He holds an M.A. in English Literature and an M.Ed. in English Language Education. Currently pursuing an MPhil in English Language Education at Kathmandu University, his research interests include ELT Pedagogy, ICT in ELT, Teacher Professional Development, and Translanguaging.
English has become an indispensable part of the educational curriculum in Nepal and it is one of the most used languages in the world. Teaching English as a foreign language in Nepal has been a challenging job in community schools in general and the context of rural areas in particular. Students in rural areas lack the competency and performance in English compared to their urban counterparts. Based on my ten years of teaching experience in a village in the far western part of Nepal, I have faced several challenges in teaching English. I reckon they are worth mentioning.
English as a subject not as a language
From the very beginning when I started my career as an English teacher, I found that most of the students, as well as teachers, have been taking it as a very tough subject like mathematics. The only target of the teachers was to prepare students for the final examination. Teachers are evaluated based on the result of the students at the final exams because teachers’ internal promotion depends on the learning achievement of the students. Permanent teachers are promoted depending on their performance appraisal. The skill and efficiency of students are ignored. Students were provided with the typical tasks to do like writing letters, essays, applications and other writings just for memorization and never learning of the meaning, forms and structures. It is done to preserve the reputation of the teacher as a good teacher. Another challenging factor is students’ belief about the nature of learning English as a subject consisting of a list of words and a set of grammatical rules which are to be memorized and separable skills to be acquired rather than a set of integrated skills and sub-skills.
There is a kind of fear deeply rooted among the students with this subject. I would like to add a reference of a student here: he said, “If I were the education minister, I would exclude English from the school level curriculum.” It clearly shows how students perceive English as a very ‘difficult subject’. They are always fearful about this subject. To lessen their fear, I tried to convince them by giving the example of Mumbai (at least one of every family member lives in Mumbai in connection with work) who can speak Hindi fluently within a short period- then why can’t we learn English? We only need to learn the structural language and do continuous practice. Without practice, we cannot even write the Nepali language correctly. I encouraged my students to practise English simple sentences along structures. As I and the students spent a few months eventually, they understood and responded in English. So that the teacher, as well as the students, should change the concept that they are teaching and learning a language, though it is taught and learnt as a compulsory course or subject at the school level in Nepal.
Role of teacher as a translator
Teaching English in the classroom means translations in the mother tongue which is another challenge in a rural context. I have a bitter experience with translation. When I started teaching English as a career in private English medium schools, I did not translate all the English texts into Nepali, I only spoke in English. But the strategy was not so effective. Students remained passive, making noise and teasing each other. I asked some of them at the end of the class for evaluation, but no one responded. I guessed it might be their hesitation towards a new teacher. But the next day, I was called by the headmaster, and I got embarrassed by what I heard from him. Students had complained that they did not understand what I taught to them as I did not translate the text into Nepali. Students were habituated only to listen to the voice in their mother tongue from the teacher. One of the students said, “We were waiting for your Nepali translation by the end of the class.” After that, I observed some English classes of other teachers and found that it had been a trend to translate words in their mother tongue. Most of them are neither emphasizing pronunciation nor language structures. It means students are not learning the language with correct structure but the only translation of the written words or text in Nepali.
Later on, we (English teachers) concluded that translation can never be taken as the only tool of teaching English. It can be helpful for classroom management, setting up activities or explaining vocabulary, for example. The translation was a significant part of English language teaching for a long time in our context; it is still in use in many contexts. In my experience, it helps students to understand the language but not how to use the language in real-life situations. It does not help learners develop their communicative skills, but encourages learners to use their first language. It may only be useful to those learners who are more analytical or have performance for verbal linguistics learning strategies. In rural contexts, translation only makes students passive, completely dependent on the teachers and does not encourage students to speak in English during class time.
Less focus on teaching and testing of oral language skills
Language testing is entirely different from testing of other subjects. It covers language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and aspects (vocabularies, grammar and language functions). The national curriculum framework emphasizes the teaching of all four language skills in a balanced and integrated way. But in the community schools of rural areas, the teaching and testing the listening and speaking skills is less emphasized. I still remember that a few years ago, we used to have cassette players and other materials for listening and speaking tests and there used to be systematic testing. But nowadays we just provide marks without testing these two important skills. As a result, students have a misconception that they do not need to learn listening and speaking skills because they know that they will get more than 20 marks out of 25 as their practical marks. The SEE (Secondary Education Examination) board has developed criteria for testing students’ English language skills, the system requires students to face both written and oral examinations and students are expected to be able to perform a certain level of English language competence in both written and verbal forms. I talked about it with some English teachers in my neighbourhood and they responded that they have completely ignored two skills; listening and speaking. After consulting with some headteachers and pass out students, I found two reasons: 1) lack of supporting materials to teach and test listening and speaking skills. 2) Less focus on administering listening and speaking tests regularly in schools. Therefore, the teachers need to emphasize these four language skills to be tested.
Lack of ‘trained’ language teachers at lower grades
The school education structure of our country has been realigned from the basic level (ECD/PPE to 8) to the secondary level (9 to 12) after the eighth amendment of the education act. The primary level is the foundation of education. Primary level teachers are responsible for the delivery of all subjects because they do not have specialization in a particular subject while entering the service. They are supposed to teach all subjects. They might be qualified in other subjects but regarding the English language, most of them do not have the required level of competence and confidence in dealing with it. Most of the primary level teachers are indeed permanent with SLC (school leaving certificate) qualification and they do not receive training on content, pedagogy and modern technology to cope with the current demands of English language teaching methods and techniques.
In a training, I observed that primary level teachers hesitated to speak in English. Earlier when we collected the need, many of them wrote their training need in the Nepali language. It shows that teachers in early grades need a lot of language support, good practice, sharing culture and refresher training modules.
One of the teachers from the Achham district explained that teachers are not highly motivated to teach English effectively because of the lack of enough resources in schools, motivation from school management and the headteacher.
Therefore, English teachers need to change their mindset to get updated with new ideas, teaching techniques, and innovations. We can better use the resources available online and offline. School administration should not pressurize the teachers to complete courses. Learning can be fostered through managing classrooms and resources essential for students. Teacher training on the content, pedagogy and technology should be an integral part of teaching English as a foreign language. Small class sizes are better for enhancing target language skills than large classes. Recruiting qualified and trained teachers are a dire need in our context.
Conclusion
To conclude, teachers in our context face so many challenges while teaching English. We are emphasising upgrading students from one grade to another as exam-oriented teaching and learning has been a major focus. Learning a foreign language like English has not been given much emphasis in our pedagogical practices. Maximum use of mother tongue is in practice. School management and community support mechanism seem to be too weak to encourage teachers to better facilitate the English language courses. Most importantly, motivation and specialized training on the part of English teachers in a rural context is the need of the hour.
Author’s bio:
Shankar Khanal is an M.A. in English from Tribhuvan University. Mr Khanal teaches English at the upper secondary level (11 & 12) at Baijanath model secondary school in Achham district.
I adopted teaching as a profession some 18 years ago. My teaching career commenced from a private English medium school. It was after I completed proficiency certificate level examination. In this blog post, I am sharing my experiences from a novice teacher to a professional English teacher. The article explains that how I grow as a professional English teacher. It also depicts what different stages of my journey of teaching passed through.
Teaching is my favorite profession. It is my passion too. I have been turning my passion into action teaching in different levels and schools. What I adore is standing in front of enthusiastic pupils and delivering something. This passion led me to adopt teaching as a profession. Before I started teaching, I had some exposure of English Grammar and language for the Level I had to teach. After I had completed the examination of intermediate level, I started teaching. I was selected as the teacher after my class observation. In order to perform well and mark good impression on the part of observers, I had gone through all the topics of grammar that I studied in high school level. Furthermore, I went through an English speaking course book to improve my speaking skill. The book incorporated various language functions, vocabularies used in daily conversation, class room language, Nepali –English translation and so on. When I read the book twice, it broadened my horizon of knowledge in using the English language.
After teaching in two private English medium schools for a year, I joined a government-aided school. It was the school where I had studied at lower secondary level. The school proved a turning point in my life both as a student and a teacher. It proved a turning point in my student life in the sense that I could make my foundation of English strong as a volunteer teacher from the U.S.A. taught us. In the beginning, it was quite difficult to grasp what she uttered. She was the class teacher for a whole academic year. We, the students, were exposed to native tone in English in EFL (English as a foreign language) setting. Gradually I could get what she spoke. The way she pronounced English words or the way she delivered in the class helped me to grasp the native accent. Moreover, the school proved a turning point in my teaching career as I took my further study and teaching ahead simultaneously. I completed my Bachelor’s Degree (B.Ed in English education) during my service there.
Then I attended training on ‘Interactive Radio Teaching’. All the trainee teachers had been given one set of radio to each. A live program would broadcast from 2:05 to 2:50 pm by Curriculum Development Centre. I had to teach English taking the radio set in the classroom to Grade five. It was a formal training in distant mode. All I had to do was to turn on the radio in the class and make the students listen to. And I had to repeat after the instructor on the radio so that students could understand what was delivered through the radio. The program particularly helped me to improve my pronunciation of English sounds and pedagogical skill.
Moreover, I attended micro-teaching (also called peer teaching) by the end of bachelor’s 3rd year. Later on, I had to teach the 10th graders for one and a half month as practice teaching. I got acquainted with practicality of communicative approach of teaching during this period. The course book that I studied in Bachelor’s level and the practice teaching I was involved in proved fruitful for my teaching. This practice teaching added some teaching techniques, skills and application of knowledge in me. During 45 days’ practice teaching I received feedback from my peers who taught English in other classes. Moreover, my classes were observed by the internal and external supervisors as the subject experts. Thus, the peers’, subject experts’ feedback made me more competent and confident to handle the class and deliver subject matter effectively. To be well prepared, I came to know that the teacher’s guide was helpful. I borrowed and went through it during this period. It has multiple benefits in teaching in a way it provides clear direction to teach English.
Besides I grabbed an opportunity to attend short-term teacher training program which helped boost my performance. After having attended the training, I started teaching the students using learner centered approach. I also learnt how to teach grammar creating situation to the context. Furthermore, I learnt to teach the vocabularies more than just giving synonyms and translating. I grasped some techniques and ideas on how to motivate the students towards learning English too.
While teaching English in grade 10, I felt some difficulty to teach some poems. I consulted several practice books; went through questions and exercises in the textbook and made notes in diary. I could interpret the poems. However, I was not fully satisfied. I went through many hurdles at personal and professional level. On the one hand, I was only job holder in the family and the other I went through obstacles in teaching career too. As I had strong passion for reading from which I could get sheer satisfaction and joy, I pursued my higher study and completed my master’s degree. After the completion of teaching practice by the end and M.Ed. 2nd year, I was offered to teach in Grade XI and XII. I got a decent platform to consolidate the subject matter that I had learnt in campus and university level. In this teacher education program, I studied various course titles such as linguistics, phonetics, translation studies, grammar, semantics and pragmatics and so on. These courses made the foundation of language, linguistics and grammar stronger in me.
In the course of time, I joined a residential Military school in western Terai of Nepal. On the very first day, when the students had enrolled, the school organized an orientation program for the first batch. I had been assigned the responsibility to host the entire program. I did not have any difficulty to teach English and to speak in English. But I had never got the exposure of public speaking in English. I did not have much idea on how to conduct a program though I know what to speak. The principal just gave me the program details. I went through it. It struck my mind. It was the first time I was going to host a formal program in English. I mustered courage, I made notes; prepared rough draft; read it. Then I consulted one of my friends in the telephone who had the experience of conducting such program. I was well- prepared to host the program. I hosted the program. I received good feedback. It shows speaking in English in EFL setting is not an easy task. Furthermore, these types of real life contexts are really instrumental to enrich the professional growth. Like me, many students hesitate to speak English in different situations. Therefore, positive attitude toward target language can definitely enhance learning of the language. It also indicates that the abstract knowledge (competence) is to be brought out (concretized) through performance. The competence of an individual has to be sharpened through performance.
After I had attended 23rd international Conference of NELTA, I received a congenial atmosphere to learn more. The key speakers from foreign universities, presenters belonging to the expert groups and practitioner groups gave wonderful sessions. I received many insights on various issues and topics in ELT (English language teaching). Likewise, a mentor, my principal, who usually assigns me to work on various responsibilities – proof-reading the articles, writing articles and editorial for school magazine, writing proposals and certificates in English, inspires me to improve my writing skill. It shows that attending conferences and collaborating with experienced teacher or mentor helps to grow professionally.
Where there is a will, there is a way. In other words, every problem has a solution. During my teaching career in the school where I have been teaching for 8 years, I taught several course books in English. Almost every year or sometimes after 2 or 3 years the course book are changed. Moreover, a teacher has to teach three/four course books in a class. The teachers have to work hard to perform well in the class. I am not the exception. I taught an English Course book which mainly dealt with English literature to the 4th to 7th graders for two years. In other genres of literature, I had no difficulty. But I felt difficulty to teach poetry. It doesn’t mean I was unable to teach poetry; I could teach poetry to the students; I could interpret the poem. But I was not satisfied myself. Later I found myself less interested in poetry. It shows that teachers’ area of interest matters a lot in teaching learning process.
It is said handwork pays. Working as a teacher, I teach 4 to 5 periods a day. Besides classroom teaching, the teachers have to conduct co-curriculum activities in the school. Not only this, the teachers are assigned various other tasks- writing proposals, reports, certificates for various purposes, and articles for annual magazine and so on. Among the four language skill writing carries comparatively a greater importance. In this connection, the words of Francis Bacon are worth-quoting ‘Reading makes a full man, conference a ready man and writing an exact man.” This quote highlights the importance of writing. Furthermore, writing is considered to be more difficult than other skills of language. One has to read a lot to enhance writing skill.
To conclude, in the journey of my teaching, day-by-day I began to feel more excited and motivated. Moreover, I felt more confident and competent. It was possible because of the readings, working with mentors, peer observation, feedback from the experts and most importantly my passion for teaching, a positive attitude toward the English language; an internal motivation to perform better.
Through my journey from a novice teacher to a professional teacher, I come to a conclusion that it is not difficult and impossible to transform ourselves. One needs to have desire to grow and enhance the professionalism in the course of time. He/ she needs to update to adjust him/herself in the changing context in a regular basis. It is possible only if he/she is dedicated, inquisitive and studious.
The author:
Narendra Airi is an M.Ed. from Tribhuvan University and the head of English department at Sainik Awasiya Mahavidhyalaya Teghari, Kailali.
