Culture, Cognition and Schooling: A Comparative Study on Cognitive Development of Tribal and Non-tribal Schooled and Unschooled Children in Karnataka, India

The present study aims to explore the interrelationship among culture, cognition and schooling for tribal and non-tribal children in the state of Karnataka, South India. The aim of the current study is to examine the role of socio-cultural and educational inequalities, especially in the cognitive development of tribal children. Inequality in education is the most common form of inequality, and on this basis, the study seeks to address the undisclosed social implications of unequal cognitive development in tribal children. This study has used a comparative mixed-method approach, measuring cognitive development among tribal and non-tribal children, both schooled and unschooled. This study emphasises tribal schooled, tribal unschooled, non-tribal schooled and non-tribal unschooled children in the age group of 9–14 years. Ethnographic methods and standardised tools have been used for a versatile understanding of cognitive development among tribal children across dissimilar cultural, ecological and educational contexts. The study found that notable inequalities in the cognitive development of tribal children are not only due to schooling facilities but also to the current socio-economic status and the exceptional cultural situation. Next, cognitive patterns of unschooled children were very different, mirroring their traditional knowledge systems. Cognitive lag in some areas indicates an absence of education and issues in accessing motivation and learning experiences, which pose an immediate barrier to achieving rapid social change. The study concludes that there is an urgent need for mother-tongue tribal educational policies, focusing on individual learning skills and rapid social change among tribals.