Primary English Language Teaching in Bangladesh

Abstract

This chapter draws on the data from a large-scale donor-funded (£50 million) mobile-technology-based English language teaching (ELT) project called English in Action (EIA) in Bangladesh which lasted for nearly 10 years (2008–2018) and aimed to promote communicative language teaching (CLT). The chapter gives a brief account of English language education and teacher education in Bangladesh, especially focusing on primary ELT practices. This is followed by a brief introduction to the EIA project to contextualize the paper. The data used consists of surveys with primary English language teachers (N = 103), and large-scale classroom observations (N = 440). The results show both traditional and CLT-oriented primary classroom ELT practices. Drawing on language teacher identity research such as Varghese, Morgan, Johnston, and Johnson (2005), I identify fluid and multiple teacher identities (e.g., Authority, Resister) in the survey and classroom observation data, unlike widely used life history and narrative interviews, with regard to these classroom practices in the sociocultural context in which teachers operated. The chapter critiques large donor-funded ELT projects and ends with implications for primary English language teacher education, teacher educators and ELT researchers.