Pedagogies of loss
A qualitative study on how aspirational parenting shapes students’ transition from Bengali- to English-Medium schooling
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/r37npf51Keywords:
Aspirational parenting, English-medium transition, English-medium instruction (EMI), pedagogies of loss, student well-beingAbstract
Students face many challenges when the medium of instruction changes, and these difficulties intensify when the shift follows several years of learning in the mother tongue. The study examined the transition from Bengali-medium primary schooling to English-medium middle school in West Bengal, India, to understand how students and parents experience this change. Using a qualitative design, interviews with eight students and fifteen parents were analyzed through inductive thematic analysis. The findings reveal that students face linguistic struggle, academic decline, emotional insecurity, reduced peer belonging, and diminished play. Parents justify these difficulties by emphasizing future mobility, social respect, and the symbolic value of English. A recurring pattern of loss emerges, described in this study as “Pedagogies of Loss.” The study argues that the transition is not only a language shift but an emotional and developmental disruption shaped by aspirational parenting. These findings underscore the need for schools, teachers, and policymakers to adopt bilingual, developmentally sensitive, and emotionally supportive transition practices.
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