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Teachers’ perceptions and concerns while implementing student-centred teaching strategies in the classroom in Saudi Arabia

University of British Columbia

Abstract In Saudi education, the teacher-centred approach has been the norm for many decades. Recently, public-school teachers were asked to implement student-centred strategies in their classrooms. This study was conducted to examine the perceptions and concerns of seven public-school teachers about the implementation of student-centred strategies and whether school level or subject affects the use of this approach. Data was collected through semi-structured individual interviews, background questionnaires, and the open-ended statement of concerns. Teachers were asked about the beliefs, understandings, concerns and challenges they face when implementing SC strategies and about current Saudi curricular design in relation to these strategies. The Stages of Concern Model was used to assess teachers’ concerns regarding a student-centred approach (Hall & Hord, 1987; George, Hall, & Stiegelbauer, 2006). A content analysis and an inductive analysis approach were used to analyze the study data. Findings from the Statement of Concern data indicated that participants showed the most concerns in the Management Stage (task concerns), while the Unconcerned and Refocusing stages were absent among all participants. Findings from the interview data revealed two main themes: (1) modifications to textbooks, curriculum design, evaluation method, and preparation; and (2) opportunities that the student-centred approach provides within Saudi education. The school level and subject being taught also affected the teacher’s capacity to utilize student-centred strategies in Saudi schools.

Text

2020-08-11

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/75422

Curriculum Studies

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/