Date of Award

11-1-2013

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Organizational Unit

Morgridge College of Education, Teaching and Learning Sciences

First Advisor

Kimberly Hartnett-Edwards, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Bruce Uhrmacher

Third Advisor

Kathy Green

Keywords

Curriculum, English language, Libyan

Abstract

With the advent of globalization and technological development, English has become a necessary tool of international communication in many areas such as education, business, politics, commerce, science, and technology throughout the world. Also, English has become the most widely taught foreign language in the world (Kachru &Nelson, 1996). Moreover, the issue of successful implementation of the English language curriculum has been the focus of a number of studies. In the case of Libya, however, little research has been conducted on teachers' perceptions of the new English language curriculum in Libyan high schools. Thus, teachers' voices have not been examined or heard regarding this issue in the TEFL field. This study was conducted in a region of Libya called Tarhuna, southeast of the capital Tripoli, where there has been no study with the scale and scope of this research.

The study showed that there were differences between the degrees of CLT principles practice. The percentage of CLT principles practice was 75.4%, with an average mean score of 3.77. Results also showed a number of factors that are considered as major concerns by the participants. These factors included teacher's limited time for teaching CLT materials, insufficient funding, students' low English proficiency, teachers' lack of training in CLT, few opportunities for in-service training in CLT, large classes, lack of support from colleagues and administrators, a focus on rote memorization in teaching and learning, students' resistance to a learner-centered classroom, students' lack of motivation for developing communicative competence, and students' resistance to class participation. The mismatch between the realities of the classroom, student resistance, and the principles and goals of the new curriculum created a significant challenge for teachers. The data indicate that there is a gap between what is expected in the new curriculum and what is actually being done in classrooms

Therefore, I believe the findings of this study provide invaluable information that can be used for the revision and improvement of the English language curriculum in Libyan high schools. The study also sheds some light on the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum, reveals some of the obstacles and barriers that teachers encounter in implementing the curriculum, and provides recommendations to overcome these barriers where they exist. The purpose of this study was to investigate and evaluate the implementation process of the new English language curriculum in Libyan high schools by examining teachers' perceptions of the curriculum and how it is taught and reflected in their classroom practices.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Salem Altaieb

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

170 p.

Discipline

Education, Curriculum development

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