Significance of Learnered Centered Approach Among Polytechnic Students in Andhra Pradesh to Develop Communication Skills

Abstract

The Indian education system is undergoing a significant pedagogical transition from a traditional teacher-centred to student-centred approach to teaching and learning. The Indian government expects these educational changes to occur in teaching and learning development in Andhra Pradesh polytechnic colleges and in its technical education system. However, research indicates that there is an ongoing ambiguity in regard to the teaching and learning approaches adopted in Andhra Pradesh polytechnic colleges and in tertiary institutions. This seems to suggest that the introduction of Western concepts such as student-centred learning models brought about tension and conflict among Indian teachers and students. Moreover, previous Andhrapradesh studies revealed that different cultures have different norms and values, and these cultural differences have a strong influence on educational practices. Therefore, there is a need to examine and develop appropriate pedagogies for the specific educational traditions, rather than assuming that Western ideas are effective and desirable in every context. Thus, the purposes of this study are to explore: (1) Andhra Pradesh polytechnic teachers understanding about teaching, (2) Andhra Pradesh polytechnic students' understanding about learning, and (3) the relationships between teacher and students' perceptions of teaching/learning and their actual teaching/learning practices. This research was conducted in Andhra Pradesh teacher education programme. It employed a case study using a qualitative approach with the adoption of several research methods: Individual interviews; focus group interviews; classroom observations; stimulated recall interviews; and document analysis. Involved in this study, were a total of twenty nine teachers from differing backgrounds of teaching experience, and 59 final year students. The major findings of the study are that: (1) In Andhra Pradesh teacher participants and the student participants had adopted a combination of traditional teacher-centred and student-centred learning approaches because of the benefits that both approaches could offer to them, (2) The Andhra Pradesh teacher participants' understanding of teaching and the student participants' understanding of learning were a reflection of their educational beliefs , (3) The actual teaching/learning practices of the Andhrapradesh teachers and the student participants have been considerably influenced by their beliefs, (4) Several education philosophies are compatible with student-centred learning (Western learning models). (5) The learning perspectives of Indian students are influenced by their religion beliefs, thus differentiating them from other Asian learners (who have been found to exhibit Confucian values in the educational research literature). The findings of my research into Indian teachers and students result in understanding teaching/learning from a rural college's viewpoint, distinguishing rural teaching and learning from an urban college's environment. The research generates possible significant insight for other countries in the development of language learning strategies. The findings of this study suggest that the Andhra government and its policy makers should be more aware of the appropriateness or otherwise of the Western models for Andhra Pradesh education systems.