Investigating teachers' practices and beliefs in relation to curriculum innovation in English language teaching in Libya

Abstract

This thesis presents the findings of a study which investigates the relationship between curriculum innovation and teachers' actual classroom practices in ELT. It examines five teachers' implementation of the English language curriculum in Libyan secondary schools, and compares their implementation to what is recommended by this curriculum innovation. It also sheds light on how teachers' beliefs and other contextual factors influence the way teachers interpreted and implemented this curriculum. In order to study these issues, a qualitative research design was employed as a mode of inquiry. Data collection methods consisted of classroom observations in which audio recordings of the teachers' actual classroom practices were obtained, and follow up interviews in which teachers commented on their classroom practices and discussed the factors shaping these practices. The analysis of the data pointed to a limited uptake of the curriculum by these teachers. The interviews with the teachers shed light on the tensions between teachers' actual classroom practices and the intentions of the curriculum. They also highlighted complex relationships among the curriculum reform, teachers' practices, teachers' beliefs, and other contextual factors. This study illustrates the value of studying what teachers do while implementing educational innovations and how their beliefs and other contextual factors influence the way teachers interpret and implement these educational innovations