Examining the Psychosocial and Academic Impact of Native-Language Instruction in Early Childhood Education in South Asia: A Social Work Perspective

Background and Purpose
South Asia's linguistic diversity faces growing threats as education systems increasingly prioritize dominant languages over native tongues, creating psychosocial and academic challenges for minority children. This study examines how native-language instruction impacts early childhood development across South Asia, investigating both learning outcomes and emotional well-being while analyzing systemic implementation barriers. Grounded in social work principles of cultural justice, the research addresses language rights as fundamental to equitable education and mental health access. Three key objectives guide the study: quantifying academic benefits of mother-tongue instruction, assessing its psychosocial impacts, and developing social work-informed policy recommendations for more inclusive education systems.

Methods
The research employed a systematic review and meta-analysis of 30 peer-reviewed studies (2000-2023) following PRISMA guidelines. Focusing on children aged 3-8 years in South Asian native-language programs, the study excluded research lacking comparative data on non-native instruction. Comprehensive database searches (ERIC, PsycINFO, regional repositories) used targeted keywords, supplemented by manual reference reviews. Quantitative analysis calculated effect sizes (Hedges' g) for academic outcomes, while thematic synthesis examined qualitative psychosocial findings. Rigorous quality assessments evaluated potential bias, with particular attention to social work dimensions like community interventions and policy gaps.

Results
Analysis revealed native-language instruction provided significant advantages, with 27% higher literacy scores and 40% lower dropout rates compared to non-native programs. Benefits were strongest for rural and indigenous children facing linguistic marginalization. Psychosocial outcomes showed improved self-confidence and social integration among native-language learners, while non-native instruction correlated with higher anxiety, particularly in stigmatized language communities. Mental health services showed critical gaps, with linguistic mismatches leading to increased trauma underreporting and misdiagnosis. Socioeconomic status and teacher training quality emerged as key moderating factors influencing program success across all contexts.

Conclusions and Implications
The study establishes native-language instruction as vital for equitable education and child development in multilingual South Asia, demonstrating simultaneous benefits for academic performance and emotional well-being. Practitioners should prioritize training bilingual social workers and developing culturally adapted counselling services to address mental health disparities. Policy recommendations include expanding mother-tongue education initiatives regionally, modelled after India's National Education Policy 2020. The findings frame language rights as fundamental to social justice, requiring urgent action to develop linguistically inclusive frameworks. Future research should investigate long-term impacts and effective implementation strategies through community-engaged methodologies, while cross-sector collaborations can translate these evidence-based recommendations into tangible improvements across education and mental health systems. The study provides a crucial foundation for transforming South Asia's approach to linguistic diversity in ways that honor cultural identity while ensuring all children can thrive academically and psychologically. These insights contribute significantly to social work practice by highlighting language as a critical dimension of equitable service delivery and advocating for systemic changes that address linguistic exclusion as a root cause of educational and mental health disparities.