EIA has a comprehensive Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RME) component which runs across the programme activities.

The main objective of the component is to enable the programme management and implementation teams involved with the delivery of the programme to make informed decisions relating to policy and practice as well as celebrate programme successes. 

There is a Quality Assurance (QA) system built into to the primary and secondary schools component to ensure that remedial measures, adaptations and refinements are implemented as the project progresses.

Since the project's inception, the Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RME) strategy has played a vital role in guiding its success.  RME covers four broad and often overlapping areas:

monitoring, which uses continually collected (Quality Assurance) information to inform short and long term project management decisions;

evaluation, which may  be formative or summative (providing evidence for logframe indicators), evaluating the outcomes of a particular element of the programme;

research, providing insight into the contexts in which EIA operates, participants' experiences, or wider questions, such as the link between English language and economic opportunity;

dissemination and stakeholder engagement, through which findings are shared  with both stakeholders and wider academic, policy and professional communities.

The RME component also involves undertaking research and evaluation activities. These take the form of

•    baseline studies and major milestone, longitudinal and cohort studies

•    assessment of English language competence of teachers and students

•    evaluation of classroom practice of teachers and perceptions of participating teachers and students.

•    pre-testing and refinement of innovative ideas before taking these to scale.

The findings from the research and evaluation studies are fed back into the project activities and contribute to strategic decision making for upcoming project phases. They are also disseminated through this website (hence accessible to the public) in the form of reports, as well as journal articles, national and international conferences, workshops and policy seminars.

Our work is backed by rigorous quality assurance frameworks and user feedback processes. We work closely with the Government of Bangladesh and private sector organisations. We partner with national and international research institutions and other organisations, such as the Institute of Education and Research at Dhaka University and Trinity College London.

Impact Highlights for Schools Programme

In its upscaling phase, EIA has achieved significant improvements in classroom practice and student learning outcomes, whilst operating at increased scale, through a decentralised, peer supported approach.  The findings from our research point to the following:

Students are more motivated:

•    Over 95% of students report that English is very important (up from 50% in our baseline);
•    And now only 33% report that English is difficult to learn (down from 60% in our baseline).

Teachers feel more confident:

•    Over 95% of teachers report that EIA helps them to improve their own English;
•    And over 90% report that EIA has an impact on the way they teach.

Teachers are changing their practice and students are experiencing the difference:

•    From near zero, students now talk for over 25% of their lesson time, comparable to best international practice;
•    From near zero, over 90% of their talk is now in English.

Tested against a standard international framework, student learning outcomes improved in 12 months:

•    The number of primary students passing almost doubled after EIA, rising from 36% to 70%;
•    And 40% of secondary students achieved higher levels of competence, than in our baseline study.

English - a Factor in Improving Economic Prospects

EIA also gathers evidence about the relationship between learning English and economic development. We have  explored the relationship between learning English and individuals’ economic prospects.  Our findings indicate that:

Employees need English to find work:
•    20% (print) and 40% (online) of advertisements in the job market require English.

Candidates with good English skills are more likely to be employed:
•    Applicants are 30-50% more likely to be employed than a candidate without English.

Individuals with good English skills earn a higher income:
•    The wage premium for candidates with good English skills has been found to be 20% - 30%.

Part of English in Action, BBC Janala ('window' in Bangla), is an award-winning,  multi-platform  service  which   has enabled millions of Bangladeshis to learn English affordably – through their  mobile  phones,  the  web,  television  programmes,  print media and peer-to-peer learning.
Our main target audience is adults aged 15-45 years, from a wide range of socio-economic groups. So far over 28 million people – a quarter of the adult population in Bangladesh – have accessed EIA media products.

Innovative approach

BBC Janala aims to change perceptions of learning English (previously considered difficult and expensive) amongst the adult population, reduce barriers to learning and support the development of an innovative educational media sector. It is arguably one of the most ambitious multi-platform initiatives, aiming to increase the English language skills of adults, anywhere in the developing world. BBC Janala harnesses the latest communications and multimedia technology to provide high-quality English learning tools, using mass-media platforms, to millions of people in Bangladesh, many of whom live on less than £2 a day.

BBC Janala also ensures that people with limited experience of using information and communication technology can access and navigate the services with ease.

One of the most innovative uses of technology has been the award-winning BBC Janala mobile phone service, which transforms a simple handset into a low-cost learning device. With over 95 million active SIM cards in Bangladesh today, access to the platform is increasingly commonplace, even amongst the poorer and the harder-to-reach communities. BBC Janala provides short audio lessons to adult learners who want to improve their English language skills in order to get a better job and access to the global economy. Anyone can learn and practice English by calling a mobile short code (from any Bangladeshi mobile operator), for the cost of 50 paisa (half a penny) per minute.

The mobile lessons and quizzes can also be accessed and downloaded through a dedicated website.

BBC Janala lessons are also published four times a week in the leading Bangla daily newspaper Prothom Alo, attracting over 800,000 regular learners. So far, 180,000 copies of three BBC Janala CDs, containing the popular ‘Essential English’ and ‘English for Work’ lessons, have been sold. A ‘BBC Janala English Learning Book’ launched in December 2011, has sold over 40,000 copies and with a second book and CD package launched in late 2012. BBC Janala materials have also been combined into a free book and CD which, with the support of 14 local NGO partners is allowing the formation of 1,000 peer-led English learning clubs across the country.

A TV first

The project's reach increased further with the launch of educational television shows which have taken an accessible and entertaining approach to learning, and have increased the number of BBC Janala users.

Youth magazine show BBC Buzz was the first of its kind in Bangladesh. Broadcast weekly from October 2009 to September 2010, it reached an audience of nearly 5 million viewers. The fast-paced programme showcased the aspirations, achievements and ambitions of young people across Bangladesh, creating a rich context for learning English.

In October 2010, two landmark television programmes– a major supernatural drama series Bishaash and the accompanying game show BBC Janala - Mojay Mojay Shekha ('Learning with Fun') enabled 20 and 18 millions of people respectively to learn English.

Mainly in Bangla to attract as large an audience as possible, Bishaash includes an introduction to everyday English woven into the storyline. BBC Janala - Mojay Mojay Shekha is an educational game show, built on the English used in the drama, and provides viewers with a fun way to learn English. A second series of BBC Janala - Mojay Mojay Shekha launched in 2012, attracting more than 13 million viewers. With a fresh look, style, pace and onscreen design, the show seeks to motivate audiences to learn English through fun and games, presenting and practising English language from the project’s structured English course.

A new TV series, following the journeys of eight real-life people as they grapple with learning English for the first time, will launch in summer 2013. BBC Janala Nijay Nijay Shekha (Learning by yourself) builds on the emerging popularity of “reality” TV in Bangladesh to give viewers an English learning experience as well as provide motivating and inspirational examples of real people undertaking a learning challenge.

Amar Engreji ('My English) course

Our  Amar  Engreji  course  is  the  common  syllabus  for  all  media  platforms, providing accessible and progressive content focused on improving functional, communicative English skills. Learning is personalised, allowing those using the service to proceed at their own pace, and providing step-by-step learning and interactive quizzes so that learners can track their progress.

English in Action’s Secondary Teaching Learning Programme (STLP) is engaging students and teachers through innovative training and resources. It is bringing major pedagogic changes to secondary teachers’ practice in the field of language teaching and learning. Research shows clearly that this changed practice results in significantly improved English language proficiency of both students and teachers in Bangladesh.

STLP is entirely based on what teachers actually do in the classroom. To improve practice and, ultimately, the English of the students, teachers are provided with easy-to-use professional development materials in both print format and as audio-visual materials. In addition to training workshops, teachers also work with their peers in their schools and in regular face-to-face 'cluster meetings' of 24 teachers where participants both reflect on classroom practices learnt and completed and look ahead to those that come next. In addition, teachers are provided with audio and print materials that can be used in their classrooms with the students.  All audio and video resources (both for training and classroom use) are hosted on a low-cost mobile phone, supplied to all EIA teachers. Teachers are also supplied with an amplified loudspeaker so that they can use audio in their classroom teaching.

All resources are also closely linked to the national curriculum and its English for Today  text books. 
 
STLP materials, with their lively audio dialogues and songs and colourful posters have perhaps made the greatest impression, but face-to-face teacher training and support and the reflective videos of teachers practicing techniques in the classroom, help teachers develop their pedagogic skills through practice and reflection. These are keys to bringing about the changes necessary to teach more effectively in the classroom. 

Our teachers’ professional development programme follows three important principles:

• 1. Continuity of support: teachers build on their learning through regular meetings over a long period.  They also have the 'virtual' support of the video guide that can be accessed at any time

• 2. A school-based approach: teachers develop their skills in their own classrooms, and have opportunities to reflect on their experiences with the support of EIA’s team of Teacher Facilitators, and with their fellow teachers. Teacher facilitators also make supportive visits to teachers in their classrooms

• 3. Local capacity building: EIA’s teacher facilitators are serving teachers and headteachers; through their involvement in EIA they are developing training and teaching expertise of lasting benefit to their communities

English in Action STLP is supported by a wide and varied team. It includes:

• - English teaching and teacher training specialists from The Open University (OU), UK

• - Core Trainers (CTs), a group of specialist trainers, who act as mentors and facilitators to the Teacher Facilitators (TFs)  and sometimes to teachers

• - Teacher facilitators (TFs), specially selected and trained Government teachers, who act as facilitators and mentors to the teachers in schools in their locality

All teacher training and support activities in each upazila are implemented through and with support from existing Government structures with the valuable help from officials such as Upazila Secondary Education Officers and others.

Quality assurance is essential to all EIA activities, whether it be material development, teacher training or teacher support. We use different techniques (observation, interviews, group work, etc.) and instruments to collect quality-related information about our materials and services to the teachers and Teacher Facilitators. The information is then fed back into the next round of activities to ensure quality of services in STLP (with necessary decisions, measures and steps). Feedback from teachers and many other sources, is highly important to the revisions to the classroom materials.

By April 2014, more than 12,500 teachers and almost a million students have been reached by the programme. By 2017, we aim to reach 51,000 teachers and over 7 million students.

English in Action’s Primary Teaching Learning Programme (PTLP) is engaging students and teachers through innovative training and resources.

It is bringing major pedagogic changes to primary teachers’ practice in the field of language teaching and learning. Research shows clearly that this changed practice results in significantly improved English language proficiency of both students and teachers in Bangladesh.

PTLP has a twin strategy for achieving its goals. Its attractive and stimulating classroom materials include an interactive audio instruction package supplemented by visual materials (posters, flash cards) and detailed guidance for teachers. The teachers’ professional development strategy is based on regular face-to-face training and distance learning materials in audio, video and print form. All audio and video resources (both for training and classroom use) are hosted on a low-cost mobile phone, given to all EIA teachers. Teachers are also supplied with an amplified loudspeaker so that they can use audio in their classroom teaching.

All resources are also closely linked to the national curriculum and its English for Today text books. At the time of writing, the classroom materials are being rewritten to fit the new national textbooks.
 
PTLP materials, with their lively dialogues and songs and colourful posters have perhaps made the greatest impression, but face-to-face teacher training and support, which help teachers develop their pedagogic skills through practice and reflection, are just as important to PTLP.

Our teachers’ professional development programme follows three important principles:

1. Continuity of support: teachers build on their learning through regular meetings over a long period of 16 months.

2. A school-based approach: teachers develop their skills in their own classrooms, and have opportunities to reflect on their experiences with the support of EIA’s team of Teacher Facilitators, and with their fellow teachers. Teacher Facilitators also make supportive visits to  teachers in their classrooms.

3. Local capacity building. EIA’s teacher facilitators are serving teachers and headteachers; through their involvement with EIA they are developing training and teaching expertise of lasting benefit to their communities.

English in Action PTLP is supported by a wide and varied team. It includes:

- English teaching and teacher training specialists from The Open University (OU), UK;

- Core Trainers (CTs), a group of specialist trainers, who act as mentors and facilitators to the Teacher Facilitators (TFs) and sometimes to teachers,

- Teacher Facilitators (TFs), specially selected and trained Government teachers, who act as facilitators and mentors to the teachers in schools in their locality.

All teacher training and support activities in each upazila are implemented through and with support from existing Government structures with the valuable help from officials such as Upazilla Education Officers, Asst. Upazila Education Officers, Upazila Resource Center Instructors and others.

Quality assurance is essential to all EIA activities, whether it be material development, teacher training or teacher support. We use different techniques (observation, interviews, group work, etc.) and instruments to collect quality-related information about our materials and services to the teachers and Teacher Facilitators. The information is then fed back into the next round of activities to ensure quality of services in PTLP (with necessary decisions, measures and steps). Feedback from teachers and many other sources, is highly important to the revisions to the classroom materials.

By April 2014, more than 12,500 teachers and almost a million students have been reached by the programme. By 2017, we aim to reach 51,000 teachers and over 7 million students.