Remote: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/8/2026 and run for 6 weeks, finishing on 7/17/2026.
Project Description
Illiteracy remains a significant educational challenge in Nepal, where nearly 40% of individuals lack access to literacy opportunities. Educational poverty closely correlates with income poverty, and students attending community schools often have limited access to high-quality instructional resources, particularly in English. English fluency is essential for university admission and employment opportunities in Nepal, yet students from under-resourced schools frequently graduate with limited proficiency.
This project examines the impact of developing a bilingual (Nepali–English) school library on English vocabulary acquisition among multilingual learners at a community school in Nepal. The library includes approximately 4,800 books in both Nepali and English, carefully selected to provide comprehensible, engaging texts aligned with students’ interests. Grounded in second language acquisition theory emphasizing meaningful input and literacy-rich environments, the research investigates how access to readable, interest-driven texts supports vocabulary growth among students who are often third- or fourth-language learners.
The study contributes to scholarship on literacy access, multilingual education, and the role of school libraries in supporting language development in under-resourced contexts. Student researchers will transcribe handwritten or scanned student writing into accurate digital text, verify transcription accuracy, organize writing samples for analysis, run computer programs to collect and analyze vocabulary data, ensure data integrity, and collaborate with the faculty and lead student researcher to interpret emerging findings. Additional research in education may be required. Tasks may include reading and summarizing scholarly articles.
Prerequisites
Coursework or experience in education, literacy studies, linguistics, psychology, or related fields is preferred but not required. Attention to detail, strong writing skills, and comfort working with digital documents and data are important.
Special Comments
Project Information (subject to change)
Estimated Start Date: 6/8/2026
Estimated End Date: 7/17/2026
Estimated Project Duration: 6 weeks
Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2
Research Location: Remote
Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )
Contact Information: Sarah Margalus (email: smargalus@wlu.edu)