Abstract
Various measures have been recommended by different committees to improve the access, equity and quality status of higher education in Kerala. One of the major recommendations was initiated in the form of a pilot study with the commencement of honours course in English, Economics, Maths and Commerce subject at undergraduate level. This comparative study is an attempt to study the effectiveness of undergraduate English honours course, which commenced at Women’s College, Thiruvananthapuram in 2012. Comparison has been made between the learning outcomes of final year students from BA English (general) and BA English (honours) courses. The sample was tested on similar topics/sub-subjects taught in their course through an achievement test, oral test, extempore, tutorial observation and script play. An open discussion was also conducted with students and teachers to know their insight about the course. Findings of the study show positive impact of the honours course on the achievement of the learner. But, both the groups were found to be at the same platform in communication skill. Lastly, recommendations are made to bring improvement in the newly introduced English honours course to improve its quality in terms of learning outcomes.
Highlights
University Education Commission headed by Dr Sarvapalli Radha Krishnan in 1948 emphasized upon improving the quality of higher education by improving teaching standards, training of teachers and research
The problems in the current regulatory environment are linked to the external socio-economic and political factors, which shape the nature of stakes that political parties or religious or caste associations have in the management or functioning of higher education (Kodoth, 2010)
According to honours students it was totally their decision to opt for the course as it will open more doors for their career prospect
Summary
University Education Commission headed by Dr Sarvapalli Radha Krishnan in 1948 emphasized upon improving the quality of higher education by improving teaching standards, training of teachers and research. It is about making sure that appropriate and effective teaching, support, assessment and learning opportunities are provided to them. This can be measured by satisfaction of students, their academic performance and employability. Despite the implementation of ‘Kerala Model’, wide inequalities exist in the terms of opportunities for professional education because of location, socio-economic status and the community groups (Salim, 2004). In the study he tried to analyze the level of participation in higher education by various socio-economic groups and identified the entry barriers to higher education. There is a need of reforms and challenge to fashion an education system, which can provide access, ensure equity and maintain
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