Factors that Influence Reading Acquisition in L2 English for Students in Bangalore, India

This study explores the possibility of adapting specific progress-monitoring tools developed in the US for use in English-medium private schools in Bangalore. In the US, many teachers adopt progress-monitoring tools like the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) and Curriculum Based Measurement (easyCBM) to keep track of their students' reading abilities. We report on Phase 1 of a longitudinal study that included three phases of data collection. Participants included 1003 students in Grades 1, 3 and 5, and 50 teachers. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Results indicated that students in low-cost schools struggled on all reading measures throughout elementary school; students in middle-cost schools had below average to average scores on reading measures; and students from high-cost schools had average to above average scores on all measures. Moreover, factors like oral language proficiency in English, socio-economic status, school and curriculum increased in their significance in predicting reading as students progressed through elementary grades. Teacher data suggested that the reading goals and instructional strategies varied considerably across schools. Implications for reading instruction and practice within the Indian context will be discussed.