| dc.description.abstract | This thesis describes an exploratory study designed to investigate the beliefs and
perceptions of eight English language lecturers about, and their classroom
practices in implementing the curriculum change that was enacted in 2010 at the
undergraduate level in the public sector colleges in Pakistan. Research indicates
that curriculum change is a highly complex and a multifaceted process (Carl,
2009), and its success depends on a number of features. In this respect, it is
acknowledged that teachers and their multiple roles contribute significantly to the
success or failure of any educational reform or change. Therefore, this exploration
focussed on investigating teachers’ implementation of the curriculum change
through an analysis of their beliefs about teaching and learning, their perceptions
about the curriculum change, and the issues involved in implementation.
My approach is interpretive, and thus qualitative research methodology was
employed to obtain an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon under
investigation. Semi structured interviews and classroom observations were used
as data collection instruments. The analysis of the data revealed that, in spite of
the lecturers’ generally positive attitude towards the concept of change and their
belief in the importance of English for both individual and national progress, there
was a limited uptake of the new communicative curriculum. The study indicated
that teachers’ beliefs combined with a number of external factors including the
student level, educational culture, examination washback, lack of resources and
support, and absence of teacher training could be an explanation for contradictions
between the intended and the implemented curriculum change. The study
concluded that the needs of the teachers must be acknowledged, and measures
should be taken to create compatibility between the teachers’ beliefs, contextual
factors and the reform policies.
Although the study does not provide any explicit solutions to the problem of change
and reform implementation, the insights revealed significant implications, clarified
some critical issues, and offered some recommendations which might prove
beneficial not only for curriculum planning and implementation in the future, but
could also be useful in guiding those involved in the present curriculum change.
Important areas were also suggested for further research in the field. | en_GB |
