Curriculum Development and Professional Development

If we tend to speculate on the way the phenomenon of curriculum development and professional development were defined and analyzed throughout the previous discussions of this chapter, we can see that these two concepts are inseparable. It is important to stress that the current research is founded on the belief of teachers as central players in the process of curriculum development and therefore providing equal chances for teachers to develop their professional teaching capacities should be at the forefront of any curriculum initiative.

The interrelatedness between curriculum development and professional development was extensively referred to in the literature. Al Busaidi & Tuzluzkova (2014) argue that:

‘high standard’ or ‘high quality’ professional development programmes can lead to changes in the teacher classroom activities, thus improving teacher capabilities and confidence in implementing certain teaching techniques, increasing self-reported knowledge, abilities and skills, and consequently, positively affecting teaching- learning practice. (Al Busaidi & Tuzluzkova, 2014, p. 75)

Despite the realization of the influential role of professional development in enhancing curriculum development, this interactive relationship can be successful after careful consideration of the teachers’ needs. In their study, Al Busaidi and

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Tuzluzkova (2014) elaborate on the significance of formulating a framework for the aim of identifying aspects of professional development for language educators in a higher education context. The examination of experience of professional development policy and practice at the Language Center of Sultan Qaboos University in Oman can be informative to the current study. This study involved a discussion of teachers’ interests and motivation in association with the current practices of professional development. The findings showed that the framework of professional development adopted by the Professional Development and Research Unit at the Language Center of Sultan Qaboos University is a successful one. This is because the adopted framework introduces a set of systematic on-going stages which involve planning, designing, implementing, monitoring and promoting programmes of professional development. The experience of professional development represented at this study can inform the current research since it exposes a successful approach implemented in an ELT programme of a higher education institution in Oman which is similar to some extent to our context. The English programme administration at the Ministry of Higher Education should regard the discussion about a professional development framework as a priority focusing on strategies which can be used to identify the professional teachers’ needs and seeking collaborative ‘relationships with the broader educational community’ (Al Busaidi and Tuzluzkova, 2014, p. 81).

A more vivid speculation on the issue of professional development is provided by Al-Aufi (2014) whose study was primarily concerned with identifying the growing demand to improve the teaching quality and professional development at the Colleges of Applied Sciences in Oman. The issues of ‘reorganization and prioritization of academics’ PD needs, barriers to effective PD, and factors to enhance PD of academics regarding teaching quality improvement in the colleges’ discussed by Al-Aufi are central to the current study particularly because his study is based on the same context. Using a mixed- methods research design which involved a survey, semi-structured interviews and a focus group, the study revealed a number of results, the most important being the lack of a clear institutional policy for professional development at the colleges. Al-Aufi’s approach

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of professional development is centered on improving the teaching quality which stresses the need to provide a professional development programme targeted at the quality of teaching as a fundamental curriculum component.

A number of empirical studies have aimed at investigating the perceptions of English teachers regarding the current practices of professional development in various educational settings. Raza (2010) conducted a study to explore the continuing professional development (CPD) of expatriate (EFL) English teachers in the foundation programme of federal universities in the United Arab Emirates. The researcher concentrated on exploring teachers’ perceptions about the phenomenon of (CPD) and the basis on which they select CPD initiatives and the factors which influence their choices. The study revealed that despite there is an existing framework for (CPD), teachers were ‘less empowered and without a voice in the implementation of institutional CPD agenda’ (Raza, 2010, p. 21). This study implies that it isn’t sufficient to establish a framework for CPD at ELT programmes but in order to activate the existing framework teachers’ perceptions regarding the various aspects of CPD should be acknowledged.

A study conducted by Troudi and Alwan (2010) aimed at investigating the perceptions of English language female secondary school teachers in the United Arab Emirates on curriculum change. The issue of teachers’ empowerment previously highlighted by Raza (2009) has been alluded to in the findings of their study. The study of Troudi and Alwan (2010) was founded on the belief that the defects in the English language curriculum were attributable to the absence of the teachers’ voice in curriculum change. The study also referred to the current circumstances of the English language curriculum in which problems with students’ assessment and other problems of unimplemented elements of the curriculum such as needs analysis, curriculum evaluation and curricular support have been observed. The study highlighted the significance of giving teachers a voice with regards to initiating curricular changes aimed at curriculum development ‘to eliminate negative psychological effects such as marginalization and powerlessness’ (Troudi & Alwan, 2010, p. 107).

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The examination of the two previous studies can help us to conceptualize the concepts of curriculum development and professional development as two inextricable processes. Curriculum development at the Colleges of Applied Sciences can be achieved after conducting holistic needs analysis aimed at identifying the academic needs of the learners as well as the professional needs of the EAP teachers. The obtained results of the needs analysis stage will represent rich data for the establishment of a systematic on-going framework for professional development at the colleges.

Summary

The present chapter was organized to provide a thoughtful review of the fundamental constructs of this research study. The conceptualization of curriculum in light of the current influential debates in the curriculum literature was followed by an elaborate discussion on philosophical orientations. The discussion on the philosophical educational orientations underlying the study was aimed at exposing the researcher’s conceptual framework which is implied throughout the chapter. The subsequent discussion of curriculum development models was also intended to uncover the conceptual stance of the researcher with respect to the investigated curriculum issues. The last two sections of this chapter were devoted to curriculum development in the context of EAP with the aim of demonstrating various perspectives inferred from relevant empirical studies. The last part was specified to analyze the interrelatedness between curriculum development and professional development emphasizing on the centrality of teachers’ contribution in these interconnected educational phenomena.

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Chapter Four: Methodology

4.1 Introduction

This chapter is intended to present the methodological structure underpinning this study. A discussion was provided on the philosophical approach which informs this research arguing that the interpretive research paradigm is quite compatible and fits the overall research design. The following discussion focuses on the utilization of a mixed methods research for which this study triangulates data from multiple sources of information. The study’s mixed methods approach relies on the use of an initial questionnaire as the first instrument in the data collection stage which was followed by in-depth semi- structured interviews. Data analysis is described and issues of trustworthiness and knowledge validation are discussed. This chapter concludes by addressing the most important ethical issues related to this research investigation and it also exposes some of the limitations of this research endeavor.