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    Teachers’ Experiences of Teaching Mathematics Using Mother Language and English Language as Medium of Instruction: A Narrative Inquiry
    (Kathmandu University School of Education, 2026-01) Nyaupane, Ram Chandra; Niroj Dahal, PhD
    The research study entitled “Teachers’ Experiences of Teaching Mathematics using Mother Language and English Language as Medium of Instruction: A Narrative Inquiry” is qualitative research. This study explored schools’ Mathematics teachers' experiences in teaching Mathematics using the mother language and English as the medium of instruction. The study posed a strong guiding question, i.e., “How do teachers in Nepali community schools narrate their experiences of teaching Mathematics using the mother language and English language as a medium of instruction?” For this, the study adopted narrative inquiry as a methodological stance within the interpretive paradigm. The study area comprised three public secondary schools in Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Chitwan district, Nepal. There were six secondary-level Mathematics teachers in the study. The data were collected using in-depth interview guidelines and semi-structured questions. After data collection, the data were analyzed and presented thematically to meet the objectives of the study. The experiences of the participants were analyzed from the perspective of a communication theoretical orientation. A major finding is that teachers play a crucial role in bridging the gap between abstract Mathematical concepts and students' understanding. Taking reference from the narratives shared by the participants, it can be presented that students learn mathematics content with the help of local languages. This study concluded that, though the English language is used as an official medium of instruction, teachers frequently switch to Nepali or other local languages during their teaching as per the students’ needs. This is not because teachers cannot speak English, but because teachers mainly think about their students' needs and learning levels. Based on the theoretical discussion, this study also shows that the choice of language as a medium of instruction is deeply influenced by social, institutional, and personal factors, especially for teachers teaching the Mathematics subject in Nepal. Teachers stated that they do not care about the school’s language policy regarding instruction; rather, they mainly focus on their students. Based on their students' demands, they sometimes use Nepali, English, and other local languages in teaching Mathematics. Students may learn to repeat formulas, but they often fail to understand the underlying logic. To combat this, teachers use their own judgment. This study also presented that teachers mostly code-switch and mix while teaching because they want to scaffold students' learning. Based on the data shared by participants, this study found that Mathematics is not culturally neutral in the context of Nepal. The study also suggested that the local language is used to teach it, as it carries the power and identity of the community. It means that when teachers use students' local or mother tongue in the classroom, it helps teachers simplify the subjects. Similarly, based on the participants' responses, it creates a supportive environment for asking questions and making mistakes. It means that when we impose classes in a foreign language, students become silent, passive learners. Therefore, it suggests teaching in students' local languages.
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    Teaching English and Experiencing Intergenerational Shift of Bantawa as a Mother Tongue: An Autoethnographic Inquiry
    (Kathmandu University School of Education, 2026-01) Rai, Nirajan; Assoc. Prof. Tikaram Poudel, PhD; Asst. Prof. Bharat Prasad Neupane, PhD
    In this study, I have identified a burning issue that has been implicit within me since I started teaching English at a college. The research issue is grounded in the socio political structure of English language teaching and in the prohibition and neglect of my mother tongue, Bantawa, in personal and professional spaces. Since I started teaching English, my Bantawa linguistic repertoire has started weakening; I have prioritized English over my mother tongue in my multiple walks of life. This practice not only enforces English domination in schooling but also erodes ethnic languages. In this context, I witnessed the intergenerational disruption of my mother tongue as English increasingly occupied a larger role in my linguistic life. Through this research, I aimed to explore my internal contradictions, tensions, and ethical dilemmas arising from my dichotomous roles and ideologies: advocate of mother tongue maintenance on one hand and promoter of English language learning on the other. To understand this issue, I have rationalized two research questions. Firstly, how do I experience and negotiate this contradiction? Secondly, how are my identity, emotions, and ethical positioning shaped by this dichotomy? To answer this question, I have used autoethnography as the method of inquiry, following Holman Jones (2005) and Holman-Jones (2016). To understand and view the issue precisely, I have based my narration, observation, and analysis on the foundations of three relevant theories: language ideology (Woolard, 2021), linguistic capital and symbolic power (Bourdieu, 1991), and neo-liberalism (Phillipson, 1992). I have narrated and analyzed my lived experiences as a leading writer and a member of the linguistic community of my mother tongue, Bantawa. To enrich data, I have used my memory work, journals, reflective articles, and my published articles at different times. I analyzed the data thematically and interpreted them critically, using the research paradigm for this study. After processing and analyzing the data, I found myself in a contradiction, a dilemma, and emotional tension due to the dichotomous roles of advocate and writer of my mother tongue on one hand, and promoting English while prohibiting the use of me and my students' mother tongues on the other. In this situation, I found myself constantly negotiating my roles, identity, and position across my personal and professional spaces through different forms of resistance.
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    Teachers' Perceptions and Experience on Activity- Based Teaching: A Narrative Inquiry
    (Kathmandu University School of Education, 2026-06) Gurung, Tek Bahadur; Prof. Laxman Gnawali, PhD
    The education systems of Nepal still remain predominantly traditional, teacher centered and textbook-dependent, limiting student engagement despite policy approvals of student-centered practices. I address this gap by investigating Secondary Level language teachers' lived experiences and perceptions with ABT, with the goal of determining its potential for improving communicative competence in the face of cultural, linguistic and geographical diversity in Nepal. This dissertation is purely a comprehensive study to find how teachers perceive and practice and face the challenges in their language classrooms. The participants were seven teachers from Galkot Municipality, Baglung. This research applied Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory as a conceptual framework, which maintains that cognitive development occurs and develops as a result of social interaction and collaboration within socio-cultural contexts and is closely associated with the term “Zone of Proximal Development”. Similarly, I also used Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, which emphasizes the role of self-efficacy, human behavior, culture, environmental influences. Furthermore, I used narrative inquiry as a research design to address and identify the experiences, perspectives and live stories of secondary level English language teachers. This method aims to investigate the narrative experiences of the teachers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in this study to collect data from the participants. The study has identified key findings. The findings reveal that teachers perceive activity-based teaching (ABT) is a transformative, modern, experiential and student-centered teaching method that enhances students' active participation, motivation, effective and meaningful learning in English language classrooms. It also promotes critical thinking skills, analytical skills, capacity building and problem solving skills. However, the participants have to face a lot of challenges and hindrances while implementing activity-based teaching approach in their language classrooms along with insufficient training, limited infrastructure, rigid urban-centric curricula that ignore diversities of Nepal, heavy courses, and time constraints due to immense workloads are among the major issues. Despite obstacles and challenges, teachers use materials to students' requirements, thereby improving communicative skills, however institutional restrictions prevent complete implementation. The study has also shown implications on policy and practice. It reveals that policy and practice in Nepal regarding education needs to prioritize curriculum reform, improved teacher training, the provision of necessary resources, ICT support, and formative assessment to help in the proper implementation of activity-based teaching. The qualitative study applies in-depth exploration of actual teachers' live stories, experiences, feelings and challenges and suggests context-specific changes, rather than generalization of numerical data. ABT reveals potential for inclusive and effective English learning in Nepal, but it needed reformation and revisions in curriculum. This study also suggests that policymakers, curriculum designers, and educators should include and provide relevant and situational teacher training as well as they should also design culturally and geographically relevant curricula. They need to improve their resources and evaluations system. This approach will promote equality in teaching and minimize policy and practice gap for effective results among students.
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    Graduate Perceptions of Factors Influencing Outcomes of National Licensing Examination in Nepal: A Mixed-Methods Study
    (Kathmandu University School of Education, 2026-01) Sapkota, Nirmal; Niroj Dahal, PhD
    In the Nepali context, pass rates in National Licensing Examinations (NLEs) of Nepal Health Professional Council (NHPC) were low (NHPC, 2025). Many studies show that despite strong academic performance, unexpected NLE outcomes may arise due to the complex interaction of individual, institutional, and environmental factors (Graybow, 2015; Spohn et al., 2021; Tsunekawa et al., 2020; Webster, 2020). Such studies were not found in the Nepali context. So, the study aims to explore the trends and factors, graduates’ perceptions on trends and factors of NLE outcomes in the Nepali context by using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study (Khadka et al., 2022; Molina-Azorin, 2016; Othman et al., 2020; Paudel et al., 2025). In the first quantitative phase, the NLE system database from the tenth to the fifteenth NLEs (n=8057) was analyzed and interpreted to explore the factors of NLE outcomes among graduates. In the second phase, an in-depth interview was conducted with 10 purposively selected graduates using the interview guideline developed with reference to findings and gaps from the first quantitative study. The first quantitative study revealed 3,233 (40.1%) attempts resulted in success and 4,824 attempts (59.1%) resulted in failure. A w-shaped trend line was observed, indicating a non-linear, fluctuating trend characterized by alternating declines and increases in success rate over the observed time period. Pearson chi Square test confirms the statistically significant association between NLE outcomes with age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, province of residence, course completion time, and number of NLE attempts. The second phase of a sequential explanatory mixed methods study, the qualitative study, confirms the findings of the first quantitative study. The association of self-efficacy beliefs and NLE outcomes was observed as explained by Bandura’s social cognitive theory in the study context. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations at the graduate and institutional levels were offered for optimization of NLE success among graduates.
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    Use of Classroom Library to Promote Extensive Reading: A Classroom Action Research
    (Kathmandu University School of Education, 2026-06) Bajracharya, Shreejana; Surendra Prasad Bhatt
    Extensive reading is widely recognized as an effective approach for developing reading fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and positive reading habits. In the Nepalese context, however, students' reading is very limited to the prescribed textbooks and shows a lack of interest in voluntary reading. Students may lose the habit of reading due to limited access to reading materials, examination-oriented practices and lack of a strong reading culture in classrooms. This study examined how classroom library practices might be implemented for promoting extensive reading in grade 5 students. Classroom Action Research (CAR) was used in this study, as proposed by Kemmis and McTaggart (1988), it was a cyclic process that involved planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. The study was carried out in a private school in Kathmandu, for 22 grade 5 students for seven weeks. Classroom observation, reflection exercises by students, book logs and reading participation records were used to gather data. This intervention was executed in three cycles of CAR, refining the intervention for each of the cycles based on reflections from the preceding cycle. The results showed that giving students books was not enough to promote reading for pleasure. Student engagement was higher when they were given the choice of books to read based on their interests. The study also revealed that personalized reflection exercises (such as summary writing, illustrations, vocabulary collection, moral lessons, and book review videos) have a significant positive impact on students' textual engagement. The use of book logs and positive reinforcement using the “Reading Star of the Week” helped to foster consistent reading. The classroom library intervention changed the motivational climate, improved students' engagement with reading, promoted learner autonomy and fostered positive reading behaviors among students. Based on this study, it is suggested that classroom libraries become an effective and practical classroom strategy to encourage extensive reading in the English language classroom. It emphasizes the importance of student choice, reflective reading activities, student progress monitoring and recognition systems in the development of students' reading habits. The results can be beneficial for educators, administrators, and policymakers interested in developing instruction that fosters a love of reading in elementary students and provides them with a foundation for ongoing reading habits.