Change initiatives in English in action intervened primary schools in Bangladesh

This article presents the findings of a mixed approach study carried out in seven
Bangladeshi primary schools under English In Action (EIA) intervention
programme which aims to bring about changes in classroom practices of English
teachers. Through teacher training, activity guides and other teaching aids for each
grade, EIA prescribes idealized teaching practices for the teachers. This study
explores how these teachers implement such practices in their actual classrooms. In
order to find out if there is any change in their classroom practice because of the
intervention, three different data sources i.e. classroom observations, semistructured interviews with teachers and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with
students have been used. Data have been analyzed under different themes. The
findings show teachers are able to implement EIA principles and practices and
thereby bring about changes in their traditional classroom practice. They, however,
also admit that because of various situational constraints, implementation of these
practices is not simple.