Dr Rajani Mohan Konantambigi | Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Dr Rajani Mohan Konantambigi

Professor, Mumbai Campus, Centre for Human Ecology, School of Human Ecology

Qualification

M.A. (Karnataka),
Ph.D. (TISS)

Contact

rajanimk[at]tiss[dot]edu

School of Human Ecology,
Prof MS Gore Block,#505, ,
TISS, Naoroji Campus, Deonar Farm Road,
Mumbai - 400088.
Tel: +91-22-25525342/5349; Fax: +91-25525060.
Email: rajanimk(at)tiss.edu

A psychologist by training working in areas of child psychology and development and have applied my knowledge in the field of counselling of children, child development (including playing in children) and elementary education. The approach to understanding, research and intervention is guided by the ecological perspective: individual with her strenghts adapts to the larger context which is dynamic as well.
Been teaching Psychology, and Child Psychology and Development based courses for Master's Programmes and Research Methodology (qualitative methodology) and School Counselling subjects for MA in Counselling and also teach .
A number of new courses were developed at the Institute. I have been a part of the team that has launched the Collaborative Masters’ Programme in Elementary Education from 2003. Masters’ in Counselling, 2009, and a Certificate Course in Child Rights have been developed by the Institute with National Law College, Bangalore. Our Centre developed the course on Child and Childhood. I was briefly a part of the national team that developed M.Ed. and M.Phil courses at the NCERT for their Regional Institutes of Education. School of Human Ecology continued to improvise the courses and I have a been a part of it. I played a lead role in the development of M.Phil (2017) and Ph.D. (2019) in Clincial and Cosunelling Practice, Shorterm Programmes in Career Counselling (with Dr Arulmani of Promise Foundation Bengaluru & with then colleague, Dr Mamatha Shetty) and School Counselling (with then colleague, Dr Mamatha Shetty).

Reearch in the area of human development, especially social and emotional aspects of socialisation, role of fathers in creating learning environments in children, play in children, development of children in adverse contexts, globalisation and change in the care and development of children, adolescents and the family, mental health (perceptions, meaning making of mental health problems and issues, effects of therapies and interventions) and interventions for children with learning problems and disabilities have been some of the areas. Have also worked with large data sets in Monitoring and Evaluation of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Mahatrashtra and Goa; combining large data sets with public verfication through qualitative methodolgies in the 'Outome Budget Analysis for Education (Maharashtra State)'
Observation research and qualitative research methodology have piqued my interests, and I have utilized especially observation method and its variations in my research.
I am also guiding students for their Master’s, M.Phil and Doctoral Dissertations on issues of child development and emotional socialization, influence of media on children and adolescents, children's voices in issues related to school learning, learning problems and coping in families with mental health issues.
Academic contributions have also been in the form a number of research presentations (also with my students), invited talks and panel discussions on child development and research methodology. Current publication is

Currently my field related work has been with counselling in school and disadvantages settings and education issues related to young children, non-formal education of children and adolescents, counselling and learning disabilities in children. I am working towards understanding the developmental niche of the child in school and community settings. I am also actively involved in the application of child development knowledge in early childhood education and care settings and the child rights' approach in promoting holistic development of children in disadvantegd settings in M Ward of Mumbai.
Interventions in learning problems and disabilities in language and use of CBT with children and along with learning problems in langauge and math, meaning making of mental health by family members of indivudal with mental health problems, issues surrounding adoption of children and emotional socialisation, have been the Ph.D./M.Phil dissertations under my guidance
Was awarded the Faculty Exchange Fellowship during October-November 2016 at the Department of Clinical PSychology, School of Behavioral Sciences, James Madison University, Harissonburg, Virginia, USA., a Fulbright Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship for 2001-2002 - Affiliation was with Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, Georgia State University, Atlanta; the research topic was, "Teacher Assessment of Teaching Learning Strategies With Children Manifesting Learning Problems In the Normal Classroom”.
Was awarded the Rockefeller’s Team Residency Fellowship (at the Bellagio Study Center, Italy) with colleague Dr. Vrinda Datta, in 2000, to edit the book on Child Care in India: Prospects and Issues.
Have been a part of consultations at the Central and State Government levels and NGOs on issues related to children; notably Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Goa State.

Cross-cultural research on Paternal Engagement in Home Learning Environments. Lead researcher is Dr Rita Chawla-Duggan, Dept of Early Childhood Education, University of Bath, England. Visual data analyses generated by children and families was the novel methodology. The international collaborating universities are: Education University of Hong Kong, University of Tromso (UiT), Norway and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, India. Research publications have resulted as well.
Been a part of the team on Child Friendly Spaces, Mumbai, India: A collaborative, project, with the Children's Environment Research Group, New York, the Centre for Human Ecology, and the M Ward Project Initiative TISS as partners. Children's Environment Research Group (CERG) is affiliated to the Centre for Human Environments, The Graduate Centre of the City University of New York. Participatory methodology is being employed with the aim assisting the communities in initiating action.
Monitoring and Evaluation of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in Maharashtra and Goa (Western Maharashtra) 2008-2010. Mimeograph, TISS, Mumbai.
Appraisal Of Children's Learning Skills In Ratnagiri and Raigad Districts. Fair And Lovely Social Initiative, Mission Of Hindustan Uniliver Limited. 2009.Mimeograph, TISS, Mumbai.
Outcome Budget for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in Maharashtra. 2007. In, Finance Department, Govt. of Maharashtra and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Outcome Budget for 2006-07. (Interim Report – Conceptual Framework). Mimeograph,TISS, Mumbai.
Emerging Preschool Curriculum: Case Studies from Urban Mumbai, with AKES, Mumbai and Vrinda Datta, 2006. Mimeograph, TISS, Mumbai.
Teacher assessment of teaching learning problems as manifested by children in the normal classroom, 2003.Mimeograph, TISS, Mumbai.
Home School Transition and Adjustment and Performance of Children - Research Project (2000). Mimeograph, TISS, Mumbai.
Beliefs about Child, Childhood and Upbringing, 1996. Mimeograph, TISS, Mumbai.
Five scholars have completed their Ph.D., 4 Scholars their M.Phil and currently about 4 Ph.D. scholars are enrolled with me. About 35 Master's students from across the Institute have been guided for research thesis; annually 5 to 6 students complete their Master's theses with me.
Research guidance has been in the areas of counselling, meaning making by caregivers of individuals diagnosed with psychiatric problems, stress and coping in varied populations like adolescents preparing for competitive examinations, caregivers of individuals diagnosed with psychiatric problems; resilience and coping by adolescents hailing from lower SES groups preparing for IIT entrance examination, emotional socialisation and regulation, social media and its effects on children, etc. The domain of child socialisation and family continue to be areas of guidance.

With Rita Chawla-Duggan (as first author). Crisis as micro-genetic developmental transitions: Using micro-moments to recognise opportunities for learning between young children and their fathers in a cross national study. Studies of Exploration in Early Childhood Education: Cultures of play and learning in transition: Bloomsbury Series on Transitions in childhood and youth. In, Marilyn Fleer, Mariane Hedegaard, Elin Eriksen Ødegaard and Hanne Værum Sørensen (eds.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Accepted for publication.
Rita Chawla-Duggan, Rajani Konantambigi, Michelle Mei Seung Lam & Sissel Sollied (2020) A visual methods approach for researching children’s perspectives: capturing the dialectic and visual reflexivity in a cross-national study of father-child interactions, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 23:1, 37-54, DOI: 10.1080/13645579.2019.1672283
With Bisoya Loitongbam, Aparna Joshi, Risha Ramachandran & Phillip Mathew. 2019. Certificate Course Curriculum and Training Manuals for Biz-Sakhis: Community Based Mentors for Women Entrepreneurship Promotion and Development. Volumes 1 to 4. New Delhi: UNDP.
Kannupriya Kamboj & Rajani Konantambigi, 2014. Parental Socialization for Emotional and Social Development of Children in Urban Slums. In, The International Academic Forum 2014 (IAFOR), The European Conference on Psychology and the Behavioral Sciences, 2014, Brighton, United Kingdom Official Conference Proceedings. ISSN: 2188-9627 pp. 7-26 Website: www.iafor.org
Play and play way method in the elementary grades: Is it really there? Journal of Indian Education, February, 2013, XXXVIII, (4), 44-62.
Praveen, Shahina. 2013. Rural teachers' perception of children with learning problems in the classroom. Indian Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 1(2), 89-101.
(with Rita Chawla-Duggan And Felicity Wikeley as first and second authors). Researcher-Child Relations in Indian Educational Settings. Ethnography and Education, published in Vol:8 in the Autumn of 2013. Online publication - Researcher-Child Relations in Indian Educational Settings, 2012.
With Suman Verma (First Author). 2011. Interventions for Development of Social Skills Among Children in Developing Countries. Edited by: Peter Smith and Craig Hart. Blackwell Handbook of Childhood Social Development Second Edition.Series: Blackwell Handbooks of Developmental Psychology. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
2011. Concerns of Childhood in India–COLLOQUIUM. Global Studies of Childhood. Volume 1,Number1, www.wwwords.co.uk/GSCH79;http://dx.doi.org/10.2304/gsch.2011.1.1.79, 2011.
R. M. Konantambigi & R. Nandini. 2009. Teaching strategies in mathematics for children in the normal classrooms: A qualitative analysis. Psychological Studies, Volume 54 Number 3, 226 – 237.
(with Shamim Meghani and Anurag Modi). 2008. Non-Formal Education in a Tribal Setting: Strategies for Qualitative Changes in Children. Psychology and Developing Societies, 20(1), 65-98.
(With Mamatha Shetty) 2008. Teacher Identification of Learning Problems: Comparisons with a screening device and learning disabilities test. In K. Thapa, G.M. Van Der Aalsvoort & J. Pandey (Eds.). Perspectives On Learning Disabilities In India: Current Practices And Prospects. New Delhi: Sage Publications.
Vrinda Datta & Rajani M. Konantambigi 2007. (Jt. Ed.s), Day Care for Young Children in India: Issues and Prospects. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company.

Porject on Learning Curriculum and Content for Imparting Psycho-Social Aspects of Mentorship Among Women Mentors Who Promote Entrepreneurship in the Country, under Project ‘Disha: Creating Employment and Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Women in India’, funded by and in collaboration with UNDP, New Delhi - 2018-2019.
Been a part of Standardisation and Assessment of Tools to Assess Early Childhood Care and Environment Settings, School Readiness and Achievements in Grade I and II (2017-18) initiated by Center for Early Childhood Education and Development, Ambedkar University, Delhi - with colleague Prof Sujata Sriram.
Play in children and the other on advocacy and net working for the care and education of young children. In this regard I have participated in the formulation of quality assessment tools and advocacy materials of Maharashtra Forces (Forum for Crèche and Child Care Services), and was its co-convener during 2000-2008.
Being the Secretary of Association for Eearly Childhood Education and Development (AECED) from 2008 onwards, I have contributed actively in the conferences, consultations for policy making and advocacy, and for curriculum development in early childhood education and development.

As a part of the advocacy for children’s right to play, panel discussions and conferences have been held (2013-15) and contrbution to policy document for the UNICEF on fulfilment of child rights in the Indian context was done (in 2010-2011). I am currently the President of International Play Association (India).

Shramik Adivasi Sanghathana – Lok Vikas Sahyog Project 2008, Development Assistance to Tribal Children of Betul and Harda Districts of Madhya Pradesh 2006; Report of the field intervention project.

Non-formal Education for Tribal Children of Betul District, M.P. 2002; Maharashtra Forces, co-convener, 2000-2004; Balwadi (centre for preschool education) for Disadvantaged Children, at Mumbai Central, Mumbai, from 1997 – 2002

Children’s Center, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, 1996 - 1997.

Monitoring of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (a flagship programme of the Central Government to help the state realise the goals of elementary education) in Maharashtra and Goa.

I was supporting an intervention programme during 1995 to 2007, at the community level, the Shramik Adivasi Sanghathana – Lok Vikas Sahayog Project, M.P. for the empowerment of tribal people through community processes and non-formal education; Mr. Anurag Modi and Ms. Shamim Meghani are the senior activists in the field. I continue to support this on a personal basis.

Five scholars have completed their Ph.D., 4 Scholars their M.Phil and currently about 7 Ph.D. scholars are enrolled with me. About 4 to 8 Master's students from across the students are annually guided for research thesis.
I am contributing to the research programme of the Institute by being on the Doctoral Advisory Committee of some scholars, providing in-puts through lectures for the taught M.Phil Programme and being on the selection or chairing the M.Phil Vivas.
Counselling Children, Adolescents and Parents in Schools and Other Settings - an elective for MA Counselling Seniors through the final year. (Shared with Dr Chetna Duggal & Dr Mamatha Shetty). I am responsible for the School Counselling Programme along with Dr Mamatha Shetty, Assistant Prof at the Centre for Human Ecology.
Research Methodology for MA Counselling students – in Semesters I and II (in Semester II, the quantitative part is shared with Mr Budhadeep Gondane).
Field work initiation and supervision of 4 to 8 students in varied settings like the Observation Home, schools and community settings (M Ward, Mumbai).
Co-ordinator, Research Projects for the MA Counselling Students of 2012- present.
Faculty Advisor, Cell for Group Placement of Counselling students from 2011 to present.
Child Development and Cognition I and II: Part of the team teaching for MA Education (in the dual mode) from 2013-2015.
Teaching through workshop mode:

National Workshop on Qualitative Research Methodology, 22^nd to 24^th December 2003; and 27^th to 29^th January, 2005; Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
National Workshop on Observation Methods, October, 2005; Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.