Introducing Critical Pedagogy to English Language Teachers at Tertiary Education in Oman: Attitudes, Potentialities and Challenges

Abstract

Based on critical theory and postmodernist paradigms, the aim of this study is to introduce Critical Pedagogy (CP) to English language teachers in four higher education institutions in Oman via an action research methodology. Eventually, the ultimate purpose of this study is to create a change by raising teachers' awareness of CP. Although CP cannot be reduced to a monolithic body of discourse, through a review of literature, unified principles have been put forward by various critical educators that shape this study: (1) the political nature of education, (2) the nature of knowledge, (3) education for empowerment, (4) education for transformation, (5) integrating the world into the classroom, and (6) the meaning of ‘critical’ within CP framework. Five data collection tools are utilized during the four phases of the study. In the first phase, 178 teachers complete a five-point Likert scale questionnaire. In the second phase, an article is sent to teachers and a workshop on CP is conducted for 160 English language teachers in the four colleges. Then, documents (102 workshop evaluation forms and 25 lesson plans) and semi-structured interviews with 20 teachers are analysed to elicit teachers' attitudes towards CP and its potentialities and challenges in teaching English. Lastly, in the fourth phase, eight classroom observations are conducted to obtain a deeper insight of the feasibilities and challenges of implementing CP. The findings show teachers’ initial lack of awareness of CP as a possible approach to teaching English. After the intervention, the findings reveal that teachers have various attitudes towards applying CP, ranging from caution to full support. Some teachers resist some of CP’s premises while others are in-between. Although the findings of the study indicate the great potential of CP, the participants acknowledge the existence of many challenges to its implementation; these challenges are related to students, teachers and the college system. These findings are discussed in light of the existing literature and the Omani context. Implications for teachers, pre-service and in-service teacher education programmes and policy makers are drawn based on the study's findings.