This study examines curricular structures, pedagogical practices, and assessment strategies in Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) schools across three tribal districts of Odisha—Balasore, Sundargarh, and Keonjhar. Employing a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 12 MLE schools implementing Ho, Munda, and Juanga languages, involving classroom observations, teacher interviews, textbook analysis, and student assessments. The study addresses four research questions: language use patterns in curricular structures, design of learning materials reflecting multilingual principles, pedagogical practices in multilingual classrooms, and adaptation of assessment processes for multilingual learners. Findings reveal systematic language transition from 95% mother tongue instruction in Class I to 20% by Class V, demonstrating planned bilingual progression. Learning materials exhibit strong cultural relevance (92-95% integration of tribal festivals and stories) and bilingual vocabulary development (82-90% implementation). Pedagogical observations indicate MLE classrooms utilize mother tongue instruction (100%), culturally relevant teaching-learning materials (92%), and activity-based learning (85%) significantly more than non-MLE schools. Assessment practices show predominance of oral mother tongue assessment (95%) and bilingual evaluation (80%), though formative assessment and peer evaluation remain underutilized (35-45%). The study identifies effective practices including culturally responsive curriculum design, systematic language scaffolding, and community knowledge integration, while highlighting challenges in advanced assessment techniques and maintaining mother tongue emphasis in upper primary grades. These findings contribute to understanding how multilingual pedagogies operationalize in tribal contexts and offer practical insights for enhancing MTB-MLE implementation across India.
Rout et al. (Sun,) studied this question.