This document summarizes a study that compared the academic performance of tribal high school students in Bastar, India based on whether their home language was the same or different from the language of instruction at school. The study found that students performed better when their home language was used as the language of instruction in the classroom. However, using home languages faces challenges like reluctance from communities, an affinity for English-medium instruction, mindsets among teachers, and a lack of teachers fluent in local languages and cultures. The document calls for adapting local storybooks into tribal languages and cultures as a step toward igniting greater use of home languages in education.

1. School Success Among Bastar
Tribals in India:
Does Home Language make any
difference
Stanley V. John
School Education,
Chhattisgarh State, India
dr.stanjohn@gmail.com

2. Outline
• Background
• Objective
• Population & Sample
• Sample details
• Tool
• Results & Findings
• What do findings infer?
• A step to ignite
• Hurdles on the way-
Challenges

3. Background
Chhattisgarh StateChhattisgarh State
Literacy: 71.04%
Male Literacy: 81.45%
Female Literacy:
60.59%
Sex Ratio: 991
Tribal
population:>30%
Sample District: BastarSample District: Bastar
Tribal population: >70%

4. Objective
To compare the high school academic
performance of students with their home
language same as school language (HL=SL)
and those with home language different
from school language (HL≠SL)

5. Population & Sample
• Target group (tribal students.. )
• School levels & academic setup
• The sample: selection
• Features of the sample: two language
groups [School Language same as Home
Language (SL=HL) & SL ≠ HL]

6. Sample details
(mean age 17.4 yrs)
Gender
Language Groups
Total
HL ≠ SL HL = SL
Boys 57 115 172
Girls 38 69 107
Total 95 184 279

7. Tool used
• High School Achievement Test (standardized)
with 74 items (multiple choice)
Subject no. of
items
Hindi 22
English 12
Maths 16
Science 14
Social
Science 10

8. Results & Findings

12. What do findings infer?
If home language is made a carrier signal
for classroom delivery processes, tribal
students are found to perform better

13. a step to ignite
Adaptation of two Meena flip chart stories
(UNICEF) into tribal language-culture
domain:
1. count your chickens (मुर्गिगियों की िगिनती)
2. dividing the mango (आम का बटवारा)

14. Hurdles on the way- challenges
●reluctance of community
●english medium “affinity”
●mind set of teachers
●few mother tongue culture teachers

15. धन्यवाद
Thanks