Change in Teaching Practices: Case of Phonics Instruction in India

Whencountries adopt educational reforms, teachers adapt them to local conditions. This paper uses the case of phonics instruction in India to examine how an unfamiliar instructional method is understood and implemented. The data is based on classroom observations and interactions with multimedia scriptwriters. The data show that components of the program are understood if they address a recognized classroom problem and fit familiar routines. However, since there is a fundamental mismatch between the objectives of phonics instruction, which emphasizes reading, and societal demands for written products, the adults choose local objectives, which constrain their implementation of the new program.