Engaging in Educational Research

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

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2. Education in Bangladesh: Changing Contexts and Emerging Realities

   • Raqib Chowdhury, Mahbub Sarkar

   Pages 1-18

3. Access, Equity and Quality in Education

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 19-19

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   2. Policy-Relevant Education Research: A Study of Access, Quality and Equity in Bangladesh

      • Manzoor Ahmed

      Pages 21-38

   3. Analysing Bottlenecks to Equal Participation in Primary Education in Bangladesh: An Equity Perspective

      • Laila Farhana Apnan Banu, Goutam Roy, Md. Shahriar Shafiq

      Pages 39-64

   4. Education in Emergencies: Examining an Alternative Endeavour in Bangladesh

      • Muhammad Ishaq-ur Rahman, Bruce Missingham

      Pages 65-87

   5. Students’ Sense of Belonging in Urban Junior Secondary Schools in Bangladesh: Grades, Academic Achievement and School Satisfaction

      • Ahsan Habib, Saira Hossain

      Pages 89-102

   6. Social Class Systems in Communicative Language Teaching in Bangladesh

      • S. M. Ariful Islam

      Pages 103-117

   7. Secondary School Teachers’ Views on Inclusion of Students with Special Educational Needs in Regular Classrooms

      • Md. Saiful Malak, Tanjilut Tasnuba

      Pages 119-139

   8. Teachers as Leaders and Learners: Building Teacher Leadership in a Bangladeshi Secondary School

      • Abu Salahuddin, Janinka Greenwood, Lindsey Conner

      Pages 141-158

   9. Collaborative Partnerships Within Communities of Practice: The Need for School-Based Action Research in Bangladesh

      • Raqib Chowdhury

      Pages 159-178

4. Reformation of Curriculum, Assessment and Teacher Development

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 179-179

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   2. The Promotion of Science Values: Science Teachers’ Perspectives and Practices

      • Mahbub Sarkar

      Pages 181-199

   3. ‘School Science Is Irrelevant’: Why Still Do Science? A Case Study on Secondary Students in Bangladesh

      • Foez Mojumder, Stephen Keast

      Pages 201-220

   4. An Analysis of the Secondary School Certificate Examination: The Case of Creative Questions

      • Farhan Azim

      Pages 221-238

5. Higher Education, Employability and Economic Growth

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 239-239

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   2. Revisioning English Studies in Bangladesh in the Age of Globalisation and ELT

      • Fakrul Alam

      Pages 241-261

   3. Globalisation, Migration and Knowledge Generation: A Study on Higher Education Institutions in Bangladesh

      • Shahidur Rahman

      Pages 263-278

   4. Governance of Private Universities in Bangladesh: The Myth of Institutional Autonomy

      • Ariful Haq Kabir, Susan Webb

      Pages 279-297

   5. Role of English-Bangla Code-Switching in Vocabulary Retention: A Case Study at University of Dhaka

      • Neelima Akhter

      Pages 299-314

This book reflects the paradigm shift now manifesting in Bangladesh’s education system by highlighting recent empirical research. It shares essential insights by presenting research conducted on diverse aspects of current day education in Bangladesh, including policy and governance, equity, access and participation, curriculum and pedagogy, assessment, and education programs and projects run by NGOs. Further, it offers a platform for these unique studies to be showcased and disseminated to scholars and researchers from developing and developed countries alike, and represents a unique reference resource for the education research community in Bangladesh, Asia and all over the world.

With Foreword from Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury.

• Education in Bangladesh
• Policy and governance
• assessment and outcomes
• curriculum and classroom practice
• non-formal education
• participation in education

“Although Bangladesh is one of the largest countries in the world, with its population now approaching 165 million, there is a dearth of good scholarship on recent developments in its system of education. This much needed and timely book fills this inexcusable gap. It contains a number of excellent papers that not only describe Bangladesh’s complex system of education but also interrogate the nation’s struggle to realise its long cherished goals of access, quality and equity in education.” (Fazal Rizvi, Professor of Global Studies in Education, The University of Melbourne, Australia)

“In its journey of becoming a Developing Nation, Bangladesh’s need for research-based decision making is of immense importance. Strongly based on a carefully selected range of studies, 'Engaging in Educational Research: Revisiting Policy and Practice in Bangladesh' is a cutting-edge publication with contributions from a promising group of visionary researchers at home and abroad. This book includes, among other themes, three key areas of education, along with a wide range of issues around Bangladesh and the contemporary world. I firmly believe that this book will play a significant role in providing insights into the complex nature of engagement of different stakeholders and provide a clear guideline towards quality education. I anticipate that the readers will be highly benefited, which in turn will facilitate early achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.” (Professor Dr. Siddiqur Rahman, Member, Bangladesh National Education Policy 2010 Formulation Committee)

• Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

  Raqib Chowdhury, Foez Mojumder

• Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education (MCSHE), Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

  Mahbub Sarkar

• Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

  M Moninoor Roshid

Dr Raqib Chowdhury taught at the University of Dhaka from 1997 to 2004 and then, upon completing his PhD in 2008, joined Monash University, where he currently teaches. He holds Masters degrees in English Literature and Education and has published widely in the areas of TESOL, culture and pedagogy, teacher education, EIL, international education and identity. His latest book is from Multilingual Matters in 2014, entitled Desiring TESOL and International Education: Market Abuse and Exploitation.


Dr Mahbub Sarkar is a lecturer of educational research in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University. He has over 12 years’ experience in researching a range of STEM education issues from early years to undergraduate levels, including aspects such as improving the quality of science curricula and teaching to increase student engagement, understanding the development of scientific and environmental literacy with students, and promoting undergraduate science students’ employability skills.


Dr Foez Mojumder completed his PhD in the Faculty of Education, Monash University, and currently teaches at primary to Masters levels. His teaching and research interests include STEM education, curriculum and pedagogy, and indigenous education. He has long been involved in educational projects at Monash University, focusing on improving the education of children in developing countries. He completed his Master of Education and Bachelor of Education at the Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka.


Dr M. Moninoor Roshid is an Associate Professor inthe Institute of Education and Research (IER), University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He completed his PhD on Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) at Monash University in Australia, and has produced a number of publications on English studies focusing on ELF, business communication, materials development, discourse analysis,graduates’ employment, and university-industry partnerships.

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