A Tibetan American Professor wins Fulbright Research Award[Thursday, 28 April 2011, 10:29 a.m.]
Nawang
Phuntsog, an associate professor of education at California State
University at Fullerton, has won a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar
Award to India for the year 2011-2012.
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| Prof. Nawang Phuntsog with US Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi/File photo |
NEW YORK: As
a Fulbright Research Scholar, Prof. Phuntsog will conduct research to
explore the challenges associated with an abrupt shift in the medium of
instruction from native Tibetan (Heritage language) to English language
for 6th grade Tibetan Children. Additionally, he will identify
the effects of Heritage Language (independent variable) on math and
science achievements (dependent variables) of 6th grade Tibetan
children in select schools in India.The Fulbright Research
Awards are selected by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board which is
the Presidentially appointed 12-member Board responsible for
establishing worldwide policies for the Fulbright Programme and for the
selection of Fulbright recipients. The core Fulbright Scholar Programme sends 800 US faculty and professionals abroad each year in over 130 countries. While
commenting on the award, Prof Phuntsog says: “This award will allow me
to undertake an important research in India that may contribute to the
greater understanding of the role of heritage language in the
acquisition of academic and second language proficiency based on the
experiences of Tibetan children in India.”He says that Tibetan
schools have been providing effective dual language instructions for
the past many years but no systematic study has so far examined the
issues and challenges associated with the transitional phase in 6th
grade when the language of instruction is changed from Tibetan to
English for all core subjects.Prof. Phuntsog will carry out his
research at various schools administered by the Tibetan Children’s
Village headquartered in Dharamsala, India. During his stay in
India, Prof. Phuntsog will also lecture at Central University of
Tibetan Studies in Varanasi and other Indian colleges and universities. The Fulbright Programme is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. -Report filed by Tsewang Phuntso, Office of Tibet, New York
