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    Experiential Learning in Bachelor in Professional Hospitality Education: A Narrative Inquiry
    (Kathmandu University School of Education, 2026-05) Thapa, Tara Jang; Asst. Prof. Shree Krishna Wagle, PhD
    This study explores students' experiences during their Bachelor in Professional Hospitality (BPH) program. Bachelor degree in professional hospitality colleges, the institutional setup for enhancing students' practical learning. Experiential learning in educational institutions, especially in hospitality, helps students better understand how the hospitality industry works in the real world. The main purpose of the study was to understand how students experience learning through practice and how they make meaning of their academic and industry exposure. The research was based on the personal narratives of BPH students. I employed a qualitative narrative inquiry approach to explore the following research question: How do students narrate their experiences of Experiential Learning in Bachelor’s in Professional Hospitality education, and what meanings of educational relevance of experiential learning in higher educational professional studies do we draw from these narratives? The study included six students of two colleges (College A, located in Kathmandu, and College B at Kavrepalanchok) in Bagmati province from diverse social, economic, and geographical backgrounds. For data collection, I conducted face-to-face, unstructured interviews with students and direct observations of the classroom and the premises for their hands-on training. Meanings were drawn using criteria such as transcribing, coding, categorizing, and identifying themes from students’ narratives. I identified seven different themes that emerged from the participants’ stories. They were: (1) Early experiences and inclinations; (2) Aspiration of hospitality education, (3) Curriculum and pedagogies, (4) Experiencing resources and facilities, (5) Experiences with academic supports, (6) Experiences as an intern and as an early career professional, and (7) Practical applications of the learning. This study's findings show practical work-based learning approaches in college, including learning-by-doing, student-centered learning, and collaborative learning. Likewise, this study also indicates that students improve their skills by developing subject-specific skills, such as communication, problem-solving, time management, teamwork, cooperation, collaboration, personal skills, and entrepreneurial skills through experiential learning in hospitality education. But for it to work properly, colleges and hotels need to work collaboratively, provide adequate facilities, employ effective pedagogical practices, and offer strong support to students. The study does not only talk about the problems raised at the beginning. It also explains how students face those problems in real life and what lessons can be learned from their experiences. The findings of this study highlight implications for theory-to-practice, policymakers, educational leadership, and future learners and research scholars who implement and design experiential learning in hospitality education.
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    What We Gained and What We Lost: Women Farmer Members’ Narratives of Socio-Economic Empowerment and Agriculture Knowledge Change in Cooperatives
    (Kathmandu University School of Education, 2026-01) Singh, Trijan; Assoc. Prof. Indra Mani Rai, PhD
    This narrative study explores the lifelong learning experiences and empowerment of women members of cooperatives in Nepal. The participants are women who faced some restricted in formal education due to socio-economic barriers and gendered norms. The study employs narrative inquiry and Naila Kabeer's empowerment theory, encompassing resources, agency, and achievements. The study examines the influence of cooperative participation on women's learning trajectories and socio economic involvement. It also explores the influence of modern agricultural methods towards indigenous knowledge systems. The findings show that agricultural cooperatives are important places for women to learn, as they provide access to economic, social, and informational resources, including credit, savings plans, agricultural inputs, training programs, leadership opportunities, and market connections. These resources helped members get more income from agriculture activities. But not all participants achieve the results in the same way. Women could use these resources only if they had land, risk taking capacity, were at a certain point in their lives, had time, and thought about debt and leadership in a certain way. At the same time, cooperative-driven learning and market-oriented agricultural practices pushed traditional knowledge to the side. This happened because the market and training led by cooperatives favored high-yield and standardized methods. Women's stories show that they often made choices that were good for their finances rather than for their culture. At the same time, there are good efforts to combine old and new ways of doing things. The research indicates that empowerment through cooperatives is not linear and is context dependent.
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    Lived Experiences of Secondary Level Female Science Teachers: A Collaborative Autoethnographic Inquiry
    (Kathmandu University School of Education, 2026-01) Nepal, Sarita; Asst. Prof. Roshani Rajbanshi, PhD
    This Collaborative Autoethnographic Study investigates the challenges Secondary level Science Teachers face as they balance multiple roles, work-life scenarios, and reasons to continue their professional journey through their lived experiences. This research study explores the stories from childhood, understanding, and struggles, to becoming a competent professional science teacher. The theoretical framework of self-determination theory has guided us to view our professional growth with unwavering commitment, a source of motivation to continue our professional journey despite various challenges. Likewise, by using the liberal feminism lens, this study investigates how gender dynamics affect female teachers’ day-to-day practices and opportunities, along with playing multiple roles. This method of study helped capture my lived experiences and the life stories of three participants in this research. Through the interview and observation, I generated data from the participants, and I also generated data about myself through reflection and by noting events and stories; our own life experiences have been used as data for the research. The study presents a critical and interpretive collaborative thematic analysis to explore our identities as science teachers and the challenges we face as we build our identities through diverse life experiences. Our lived experiences and stories were interwoven to yield the final insight into the challenges female science teachers face throughout their life journey. As a female science teacher, I have different roles like biological imperatives, domestic responsibilities, and professional duties in my daily life as an individual toward work-life balance. The collective analysis reveals the pervasive impact of this triple role on our daily schedule regarding time balance, mental, and physical energy, among female science teachers. This study argues that acknowledging and addressing these interconnected roles is crucial for retaining women in their respective fields. Furthermore, secondary-level female science teachers addressed multiple challenges in advance of their careers, personal identity, independent status, role models, quality of life, social respect, and a happy family. Moving beyond a generic discussion of work-life balance, this inquiry deepens the ground reality in the specific gendered struggle, such as unequal pay for males and females for the same work, negative perceptions of male colleagues, barriers in leadership roles, low participation in policy making, and the workload of females in our school setting. This study emphasizes a more equitable and supportive school ecosystem to combat gender discrimination and motivate secondary-level female teachers. It concludes that resilience, power, and a resolute attitude enabled female science teachers to flourish in their careers despite role dilemmas, work-life balance challenges, and other challenges. Gender parity and educational progress can be achieved in our educational system by reimagining the teaching profession, defying established roles, and recognizing the multiple roles of female teachers.
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    English Teachers’ Experiences of Conducting Assessment in the Integrated Curriculum
    (Kathmandu University School of Education, 2025-11) Karki, Hari Bhakta; Associ. Prof. Khagendra Acharya, PhD
    This dissertation examined English language teaching faculties’ experience of assessment following the introduction of integrated curriculum for community schools in Kavrepalanchock and Bhaktapur districts. The new curriculum, which was implemented in 2019, was designed to be progressive and aimed at developing 21st￾century learning goals for learners. This curriculum emphasized continuous assessment, assessment for learning, and competency development through interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary integration of subjects. The new assessment system measured student competency through non-traditional examinations, i.e., students’ progress was assessed through regular classroom instruction and performance. Prior to the proposed new approach, the majority of educators believed that evaluations are the tests used for summative purposes. The most overlooked aspects in such assessments were the students’ engagement in class, the records of assignments, their communication, their projects, and their involvement in extracurricular activities. While the former curriculum system did not address comprehensive components of assessment using the Continuous Assessment System (CAS), the new curriculum succeeded in assessing many of the left-out aspects using an integrated evaluation system. This context positioned this inquiry as a suitable fit for study. I adopted non-positivist worldview, constructivist paradigm, and Gadamerian Hermeneutic phenomenological approach to bring the lived experiences of the participants of my study. Three teachers teaching in community schools were my participants. I employed a qualitative data collection method, including in-depth interviews, field notes, observations, and document analysis, to gather information from the participants. I transcribed the recorded information from the participants and employed the nine steps of data analysis process as suggested by Gadamer (1960), further elaborated upon by Fleming et al. (2003) and Ajjawi and Higgs (2007). The analysis process involved identifying the participants’ horizon through interviews and determining the researcher’s horizon through pre-understanding of the topic, observation, and document analysis. Other steps included identifying ‘second order’ where both participants’ and the researcher’s horizons were integrated to find emergent themes. Emergent themes were further used for finding subordinate and superordinate themes. Five superordinate themes emerged from the analysis. They were initial understanding of Integrated Curriculum, varied but irregularly integrated classroom practices, fragmented assessment practices, challenges in implementing assessment, and the necessity of timely orientation and training. These five themes were further utilized in the meaning-making process, drawing on the participants’ lived experiences as expressed in the interviews. Furthermore, the themes were seen in the light of the reviewed literature, as well as with the theory of transformative learning and the constructivist paradigm. The findings highlight that the teachers had a basic understanding of the integrated curriculum and its assessment. Practically, they still relied on a traditional pen-and-paper-based summative type of examination system rather than a continuous assessment. They demanded proper guidance and oversight from the governing body, and timely workshops and training regarding their proper execution. The study suggests future research and practical implications for policymakers, teachers (with larger and more diverse samples), students, guardians, and school leaders, encouraging further exploration in the field of Integrated Curriculum and assessment practices.
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    Teachers’ Perception on Local Curriculum of Nepal: A Narrative Inquiry.
    (Kathmandu University School of Education, 2026-01) Aryal, Shiva Prasad; Prof. Dhanapati Subedi, PhD
    This qualitative study explored the teachers’ perceptions and classroom practices of the local curriculum in Tarakeshwar Municipality, Kathmandu, Nepal. It was conducted by using narrative inquiry, in which in-depth interviews and classroom observations of four teachers from community and private schools, incorporating both local and non-local teachers, were conducted. This study was done with the aim of understanding how the local curriculum is interpreted and enacted in real classroom contexts and how teachers’ background and local knowledge affect the understanding and practice of the local curriculum. The findings of the study revealed that teachers perceived local curriculum as a powerful means for cultural awakening, preserving culture and local heritages, traditions, and expanding community knowledge. The study demonstrated that local curriculum strongly aligns with place-based education and constructivist learning theories, as teachers frequently employed experiential learning strategies such as storytelling, field visits, exhibitions, mapping activities, and community engagement practices. These activities enabled students to connect their classroom learning with lived experiences and supported them in fostering meaningful and authentic learning. This study further revealed that teachers are not only implementors of curriculum, but they are active interpreters and a major part of curriculum construction. Local teachers can contribute historical depth and cultural authenticity, while non-local teachers utilize the curriculum as a bridge for adapting to a new environment and being familiar with various aspects of the society. Despite the strong pedagogical potential of the local curriculum, the study identified some challenges like lack of participatory curriculum development, insufficient teachers’ orientation and training, unclear assessment frameworks, etc. The study concluded that local curriculum related policy in Nepal has the aim of democratizing education and honoring local knowledge, but its effectiveness depends fully on stakeholders’ participation, institutional support, professional training, and accurate as well as inclusive content. The findings suggested some important implications for teachers, local education authorities, and future researchers, emphasizing the need to strengthen decentralized curriculum practices to ensure culturally responsive and sustainable education.