Hindi-speaking ability of secondary school students in Kerala studying with children of guest laborers

1. Introduction

There were around 2.5 million internal travelers in Kerala as per a recent report. Consistently, Kerala’s transient laborer populace grows by 2.35 lakh (235,000) individuals every year. Kerala is expected to have 5–5.5 million state transient laborers in 2020. Regardless of their significance and notwithstanding a considerable lot of them lauding the state for its government assistance plans and climate, they are frequently disregarded in correlation and experience the ill effects of nearly unfortunate everyday environments. In India, states have different monetary and social characteristics and this prompts internal movement. High proficiency rates, better instruction, and lack of expert and gifted positions had incited Keralites to search for higher wages and more talented work outside of India. This pattern then prompted a decrease in the accessibility of labor force in Kerala, particularly in unskilled positions. Kerala has the least populace development rate in the nation and is set to turn into the principal state with zero populace development, or even with a negative development rate. The youngster populace development is as of now negative at −8.44%. In less than 10 years, Keralites’ populace is set to diminish. Schools have been announcing opportunity of seats not because of a drop in enrollment, but because there are no youngsters to send. Subsequently, with a maturing populace like in Europe combined with the propensity of youth relocating abroad, the lack of laborers will undoubtedly worsen. Kerala cannot make an adequate number of occupations that are reasonable for an undeniably bigger number of youngsters with elevated degrees of training. Despite the fact a lack of occupations was the fundamental justification for the relocation of Keralites before 2000, the idea of higher wages abroad has gained some momentum among Keralites despite the fact wages acquired in Kerala have now generally become comparable to those obtained abroad. Furthermore, the excitement associated with Bay displacement remains a source of strength for Kerala’s youth. This is a significant factor in their choice to emigrate rather than work in the state. The Kerala Migration Survey (2014), directed by the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, discovered that the inability to create businesses to retain the educated youth was one reason why movement had expanded—rather than plunging as figure a couple of years earlier. In any case, a few thousand educated young people have moved to the Bay for low-skilled occupations that they would not do in Kerala. Movement in this manner additionally happens because local people have evaluated themselves out of the casual help area, or because, as in large urban communities like Mumbai, they have put a few errands underneath them and travelers fill the gap.

2. Education of guest laborers’ children in Kerala

Transient specialists comprise a significant part of Kerala’s workforce. The education of the children of these transient workers is a significant issue to consider. It must be enquired whether they are denied any fundamental common liberties like the right to instruction, appropriate nourishment and food, wellbeing and sterile circumstances, parental consideration and friendship, recreation, and diversion. Disavowal of the right to training is the most barefaced infringement of a fundamental basic freedom, resulting in a refusal of pride, equity, and fairness (General Education Department 2019).

3. Importance of speaking skill

Talking is a vital element for language learning. It is the essential mode of expressive language. Both youngsters and grown-ups use it more frequently than composing, and children learn to talk before they learn to peruse and compose. Speaking is additionally the mode of correspondence that all individuals all over the world create. Students benefit from taking part in talk exercises throughout the school days, and that discussion is the fundamental element for learning. Improvement of speaking abilities is important in the correspondence. The discourse is the language. Things begin with the existence of a single discourse. We begin talking before we begin composing. Children acquire discourse from the phonetics environment (Vijitha, 2014).

4. Significance of learning Hindi

One of the principal reasons that the vast majority of people want to learn a language is to be able to speak with individuals from all over the world. Over a billion people all over the world communicate in Hindi, making it the second most widely communicated language on the planet. It is also the authority language of India. Up to 200 million individuals communicate in Hindi as their subsequent language. Having associations with local speakers will likewise assist with practicing Hindi. Concentrating on Hindi could have extra advantages. Since the language is so widely spoken, a few colleges, organizations, and states are offering unique opportunities for those who can speak it fluently. Most articles on language learning focus on reading up on the motivations behind personal growth, career development, or brain health (Sebastian, 2019).

5. Need and significance of the study

With the breakdown of provincial vocations in different places of the country, a huge number of families are being driven away from their homes and towns to different states looking for work consistently. Natural disasters and the dry season have prompted additional movement from northern Indian states to states like Kerala, where there more business opportunities. Kerala is a significant center of migrant labors in India. Numerous transients are compelled to take their kids alongside them to their place of relocation. There is probably one of the most important issues associated with movement. When numerous Kerala government schools were facing closure due to lack of students, transient children are now filling the void. Consistent progression of individuals from different states has prompted noticeable changes in friendly, monetary, and social circles of the state (Zacharias and Vinil, 2018). Foreigners showing up during adolescence can easily learn the host country’s the essential language. Language abilities improve with time spent in the target location through openness and learning by doing. Language includes both the ability to understand spoken and written words and the ability to communicate continuously when we talk or write. India is a multilingual country. Among the few dialects of India, Hindi holds a significant spot and it is the public language of India. Hindi is one of the mostly spoken dialects of the world. It is similar to Urdu; it broadens one’s understanding of Indian culture. In Kerala, Hindi is taught at school till 10th standard as a core subject. However, this is not enough to converse and understand colloquial Hindi. This study explores whether or not native children of Kerala take the advantage of learning Hindi from migrants. This study attempts to investigate whether or not there is any progress in Hindi-speaking skills of native children of Kerala due to the co-learning among the migrant children.

6. Operational definitions of key terms

The key words used in this study are briefly explained as follows:

● Hindi: Hindi is an Indic language of northern India, got from Sanskrit and written in the Devanagari script. It is the fourth most broadly communicated language in the world, with in excess of 250 million individuals speaking it as their first language. Hindi turned into the official language of the India in 1950. The Constitution of India accommodates the utilization of Hindi in the Devanagari script as the official language of India. As per Article 343 on the Indian constitution, “the official language of the Indian union shall be Hindi in the Devanagari script.”

● Speaking ability: Speaking ability is the ability to speak confidently. They empower us to pass on data verbally such that the audience can comprehend.

● Secondary school students: In this study, secondary school student is the term used to describe the group of students who are undergoing traditional final stage of compulsory schooling. Secondary school students are those attending VIII, IX, and X of the schools of Kerala who are undertaking state syllabus prescribed by Kerala state education department. Secondary school level is the third stage of school education. They belong to the age group of 11–18 years (Macmillan English Dictionary, 2002). The current research is restricted to eighth standard students.

● Guest Laborers: Internationally, a guest worker is a foreign national who is permitted to live and work temporarily in a host country. Most of the guest workers perform manual and blue-collar labor (Britannica, 2021). Kerala is the home of a huge number of migrant laborers from various parts of India. Keralites are affectionately calling them as “guest laborers.” In this study, guest laborer means “the non-Keralite people who working in Kerala.”

7. Objectives of the study

1. To find out the impact of children of guest laborers in improving the Hindi speaking ability of native children of Kerala.

2. To find out the Hindi-speaking ability of native children of Kerala due to the co-learning among children of guest laborers.

3. To study the impact of guest laborers in improving the Hindi-speaking ability of native female students of Kerala at secondary level.

4. To study the impact of children of guest laborers in improving the Hindi-speaking ability native male students of Kerala at secondary level.

5. To find out the Hindi-speaking ability of native female children of Kerala due to the co-learning among children of guest laborers.

6. To find out the Hindi-speaking ability of native male children of Kerala due to the co-learning among children of guest laborers.

8. Hypotheses of the study

The hypotheses formulated for the present study are as follows:

1. There is a significant influence of children of guest laborers in improving the Hindi speaking ability of native children of Kerala.

2. There is a significant relationship of the Hindi-speaking ability of native children of Kerala due to the co-learning among children of guest laborers.

3. There is significant influence of guest laborers in improving the Hindi-speaking ability of native female students of Kerala at secondary level.

4. There is a significant influence of children of guest laborers in improving the Hindi-speaking ability native male students of Kerala at secondary level.

5. There is a significant influence in the Hindi-speaking ability of native female children of Kerala due to the co-learning among children of guest laborers.

6. There is significant influence in the Hindi-speaking ability of native male children of Kerala due to the co-learning among children of guest laborers.

9. Methodologies

The term research strategy in research incorporates research configuration utilized, region where the review was embraced, nature of populace, determination of test, choice of suitable devices and procedures, arrangement and approval of apparatuses, collection of information, and technique for information examination. The principal aim of this study is to identify the Hindi speaking ability of secondary school students in Kerala studying with children of guest laborers. Considering the subject and the objectives of the ongoing survey, the authors embraced elucidating technique. Engaging exploration is characterized as an examination technique that portrays the qualities of the populace or peculiarity considered. The populace, test, and examining method picked for the review are given as follows:

● Population of the Study: Universe or populace refers to the entirety of the items or people with respect to which impacts are to be made in a research study. It alludes to the gathering, things, or units under the examination and incorporates each person. Populace for any exploration is characterized in view of the goals of the review (Hema, 2019). In the current review, the optional school students of standard VIII who follow state schedule in Kerala shape the populace or universe.

● Sample selected for the study: A sample is a collection consisting of a part or subset of the objects or individuals of population chosen for the purpose of research. Sample is a small group selected from a large population; the sample is intended to reflect the population closely, so that findings made from the sample will be applicable to the population (Charles, 1995). This study is confined to standard VIII students of secondary education and the students studying with children of guest laborers.

● Sampling Technique: Testing procedure is the method involved with choosing an example from a population. To guarantee the dependability of the examination findings, the agent must be cautious in choosing the example by using the most fitting testing strategy (Hema, 2019). Here, the specialist chose separate testing strategy. In this technique, the population is classified into subgroups (or layers) who share comparable trademark. It is utilized when we expect a shift in interest estimation between different sub-gatherings.

● Sample Size: For this study, the sample size is fixed as 80; among them 40 are secondary school students of 8th class and 40 are secondary school students of 8th standard who is studying with children of guest laborers. Gender representation was also provided for the student.

● Tools used for data collection: Instruments designed to describe and measure a sample of certain aspects of human behavior are known as research tools (Savitha, 2019). Sometimes, we have to develop tools for specific purpose related to our study. The following tool was developed by the investigator for data collection. In this study, the researcher used a tool called “Hindi Speaking Ability Test (HSAT)” developed by Raj and Thamarasseri (2021). The tool has various dimensions, namely monolog dimension, dialog dimension, and multilog dimension. The monolog dimension encompasses a one-way speaking ability. The researcher will provide a topic to each sample and they have to perform the given task within a fixed time. While dialog dimension refers to a two-way speaking ability. In this, the researcher will provide a topic to two students (a pair of students) in which the researcher will check the ability to exchange information in different situations. The multilog refers to a speaker’s discussion ability among multiple participants. Here, the researcher will divide the whole class into two groups and give a topic for debate.

● The Data Collection Procedure: Subsequent to settling the example and normalization of the instruments to be used, the authors reached the administrators of the chosen schools and explained the reason for the review and offices anticipated. Following approval from the four schools, the authors had conversation with the heads of the schools to establish a timetable for directing the tests. The school specialists were very helpful to the authors in making the timetable for implementing the test. The learners of the chosen schools were given HSAT. The tests were directed on 8th standard students from each chosen school. Three unique meetings were expected in each chosen class. The learners were approached and asked to finish the test. Individual data of understudies was gathered directly from them. In light of the accessibility, learners from a couple of divisions were used to gather information. In certain schools, the absolute strength of understudies was exceptionally poor. After completion of the information gathering process, the reaction sheets were examined to guarantee their propriety for consideration in the measurable examination required for the review.

● Scoring and Consolidation of Data: The guidelines for scoring of the reaction pages were strictly followed, and care was taken to guarantee the deficient reaction sheets were rejected. The information got from schools were organized and exposed to factual methods for translation.

10. Scope of the study

The current research is an effort to study the Hindi speaking ability of native children studying with children of guest laborers. Most of the Keralites go to North India or Gulf for employment. In Gulf, Indians generally use Hindi for conversation. Kerala has a lot of migrant laborers from Bengal, Assam, and Orissa. Their mother-tongue is not Hindi but they communicate to Keralites in Hindi. In addition, being a tourist hub, it is imminent for the people involved in the tourism industry to learn Hindi and English. Since the entire Kerala state has something to offer for tourism, one can easily find people who can speak Hindi everywhere.

11. Limitations of the study

In any research, it is unimaginable to expect to cover all parts of the area of interest, factors, and populace. In this way, a review has consistent impediments. Limits are those circumstances beyond the control of the scientist that may play limitation on ends. In this way, limits are a wide term; however, delimitations are a thin term. It demonstrates the review’s limitations. Even though all possible precautions have been taken to get valid and reliable results, the following are the limitations of this study.

● Geographical area: Due to the geographical vastness of Kerala, the investigator faced difficulty to visit and collect data from secondary school students of all 14 districts. So, the study has been confined to only one district, i.e., Kottayam.

● Limitation of sample size: The sample size was limited to 80 secondary school students from a single district. An even more generalized result would have been obtained if the sample size were bigger. However, the time factor and the pandemic conditions made the investigator limit the sample size.

● Limited to secondary school students: Even though the present study is aimed at the secondary school students, the sample selected consists of only standard VIII pupils.

12. Findings of the study

The major finding that has emerged from the study is that there is an impact of children of guest laborers in enhancing the speaking ability in Hindi among students at secondary level. The findings of the study are as follows:

1. There is an impact of children of guest laborers in improving the Hindi speaking ability of native children of Kerala.

2. There is a supremacy in Hindi-speaking ability of native children of Kerala due to the co-learning among children of guest laborers.

3. There is an impact of children of guest laborers in improving the Hindi-speaking ability of native female students of Kerala at secondary level.

4. There is an impact of children of guest laborers in improving the Hindi-speaking ability native male students of Kerala at secondary level.

5. There is an improvement in the Hindi-speaking ability of native female children of Kerala due to the co-learning among children of guest laborers.

6. There is an improvement in the Hindi-speaking ability of native male children of Kerala due to the co-learning among children of guest laborers.

13. Conclusion

The following are the major conclusions that have emerged as a result of the data analysis:

1. There is an impact of children of guest laborers in improving the Hindi speaking ability of native children of Kerala. This conclusion is deduced from the following findings. When the test scores of the students in both groups in speaking skills were compared, the difference between the means were found to be statistically significant (CR = 2.2279, p > 0.01). Scores of students with children of guest laborers were found to be greater than the scores of native children experimental group (Mean of the scores of students with children of guest laborers is 17.5 and that of native children is 6.0314).

2. There is supremacy in Hindi-speaking ability of native children of Kerala due to the co-learning among children of guest laborers. This conclusion is deduced from the following findings. When the test scores of the students in both groups in speaking skills were compared, the difference between the means were found to be statistically significant (CR = 2.2279, p > 0.01). Scores of students with children of guest laborers were found to be greater than the scores of native children experimental group (Mean of the scores of students with children of guest laborers is 17.5 and that of native children is 6.0314).

3. There is an impact of children of guest laborers in improving the Hindi-speaking ability of native female students of Kerala at secondary level. This conclusion is deduced from the following findings. When the test scores of the female students in both groups in speaking skills were compared, the difference between the means was found to be statistically significant. Scores of female students with children of guest laborers were found to be greater than the scores of native children experimental group (Mean of the scores of students with children of guest laborers is 18.9 and that of native children is 12.6315).

4. There is an impact of children of guest laborers in improving the Hindi-speaking ability of native male students of Kerala at secondary level. This conclusion is deduced from the following findings. When the test scores of the female students in both groups in speaking skills were compared, the difference between the means was found to be statistically significant. Scores of female students with children of guest laborers were found to be greater than the scores of native children experimental group (Mean of the scores of students with children of guest laborers is 16.95 and that of native children is 14.15).

5. There is an improvement in the Hindi-speaking ability of native female children of Kerala due to the co-learning among children of guest laborers. This conclusion is deduced from the following findings. When the test scores of the female students in both groups in speaking skills were compared, the difference between the means was found to be statistically significant. Scores of female students with children of guest laborers were found to be greater than the scores of native children experimental group (Mean of the scores of students with children of guest laborers is 18.9 and that of native children is 12.6315).

6. There is an improvement in the Hindi-speaking ability of native male children of Kerala due to the co-learning among children of guest laborers. This conclusion is deduced from the following findings. When the test scores of the female students in both groups in speaking skills were compared, the difference between the means was found to be statistically significant. Scores of female students with children of guest laborers were found to be greater than the scores of native children experimental group (Mean of the scores of students with children of guest laborers is 16.95 and that of native children is 14.15).

14. Summary and recommendations

Education consistently fails to provide explicit instruction, time, and space to enhance speaking skill among students. Teachers should be able to provide learning experience to improve speaking skills that includes fluency, pronunciation, grammatical corrections, vocabulary, and proper content. This study was performed to find out the impact of children of guest laborers in enhancing the speaking ability in Hindi of the secondary school students of Kerala. Among the fourfold skills in language, speaking skill is the primary skill which is an active and productive skill but, unfortunately, it is given least importance. A school should provide provisions for students in school assemblies and programs that provide space for improving their speaking skill. Because the scope of the study was limited, the findings should be interpreted as presenting only on a small part of the overall picture. A number of additional studies in this area may be conducted. Some of the possible areas in which further studies can be conducted are as follows: (1) a similar study can be conducted for students in upper primary, higher secondary, and college level; (2) a large-scale study can be conducted across all the districts of Kerala; and (3) a similar study can be expanded to some other sub-sample and categories as well.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

References