An exploratory study of two EFL teacher's perceptions and application of curriculum principles

Abstract

To date curriculum implementation has been of interest to many researchers. Research in the area has mainly focused on the gap between stated curriculum principles and actual classroom practices, and the underlying factors that have affected the implementation of a curriculum. This study investigates the same phenomena by focusing on selected curriculum principles and their classroom practice. It focuses on two seventh grade ELT teachers‟ implementation of (1) use of English in the classroom, (2) use of pair and group work, and the role of language teaching materials on their classroom practices. A teacher from a state school and a teacher from a private school were selected as participants. A case study design was used to investigate the participant teachers‟ classroom practices of the curriculum principles and their perceptions of the materials they used. Data were collected through (1) semi-structured interviews, (2) classroom observations and video recordings, (3) teacher logs, and (4) documents that provided information on the curriculum. The findings of the study suggest that a gap exists between the curriculum principles and classroom practices of the participant teachers. Among the factors influential on the gap were (1) contextual factors (e.g. student profile, availability of resources), (2) teachers‟ perceptions of the curriculum, and (3) the role of the institution. As for the materials, the data suggest that teachers perceived the materials as the curriculum itself. It was found that materials were also used for classroom management purposes.