An Exploration of Foreign Language Teachers' Beliefs about Curriculum Innovation in Algeria

280 Pages·2012·0.93 MB·English

An Exploration of Foreign Language
Teachers’ Beliefs about Curriculum
Innovation in Algeria: A Socio-Political
Perspective

By

Fouzi Bellalem

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the
degree of Doctorate in Education

School of Social Science and Public Policy
King’s College, London
University of London

August 2008

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Abstract
Recent political and economic developments in Algeria have brought about reforms
of the educational system. A new curriculum was introduced as part of these
reforms. This study explores the beliefs of French and English school teachers about
curriculum innovation in Algeria.

The study is positioned in the qualitative research tradition and looks at teachers
from an “emic” perspective. It takes a constructivist paradigm, where the researcher
adopts the lens through which the participants’ world is interpreted. A review of
literature about teachers’ beliefs and curriculum theory helps to draw a theoretical
framework to guide the data analysis and interpretation. Semi-structured interviews
and group discussions are used as methods of data collection. Grounded Theory is
employed as a method to analyse the data.

The findings indicate that the teachers held negative beliefs about the new
curriculum because of an incompatibility of these beliefs with the innovation. A
further analysis reveals that issues of policy and power underpinned this
incompatibility. It was found that the participants generally enacted a transmissionist
ideology whereas the new curriculum was intended as socio-constructivist. They
viewed the Algerian school as a site of political power and ideological domination,
whereas the Ministry of Education viewed it as a place for engendering socio-
cultural emancipation and democracy. The teachers showed positive attitudes
towards learning foreign languages, but were wary of the latter’s hegemonic power.
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They believed that they were not being recognised as professionals, while their
Ministry blamed them for being unresponsive to change. I conclude that the
participants’ beliefs had not been so challenged prior to the implementation of the
innovation; that both participants and policy-makers blamed one another and were
unaware that they both represented part of the problems facing curriculum reforms;
and that the Ministry’s educational reforms were not actually in line with social,
political and economic reforms. In the conclusion it is argued that tensions arose
because of a lack of trust and dialogue within the Algerian educational system. It is
suggested that recognition of “social capital”, a philosophy based on interaction,
trust and critical reflection towards accomplishing social integration and democracy,
can be adopted as a strategy by all those involved in education to promote dialogue
towards improving the teachers’ situation in Algeria.

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Table of Contents
Page

ABSTRACT 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

LIST OF TABLES 8

LIST OF FIGURES 8

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 9

DEDICATIONS 10

KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS 11

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY
1.1. Introduction 13
1.2. Triggers of the study 13
1.3. Background to curriculum reforms in Algeria 16
1.4. Rationale for the study 20
1.5. Objectives of the study 23
1.6. Research questions 24
1.7. Overview of the methodology 25
1.8. Limitations of the study 25
1.9. Overview of the thesis 27

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
2.1. Introduction 28
2.2. The nature of teachers’ beliefs 28
2.2.1. Definitions of teachers’ beliefs 28
2.2.2. Sources of teachers’ beliefs 31
2.2.3. Main categories of teachers’ beliefs 33
2.3. Teachers’ beliefs, curriculum innovation and teacher training 34
2.3.1. Why study teachers’ beliefs? 34
2.3.2. Teachers’ beliefs and curriculum innovation 35
2.3.3. Teachers’ beliefs and teacher training 37
2.4. Views and definitions of curriculum 40
2.4.1. Definitions of curriculum 40
2.4.2. Curriculum and power 42
2.4.3. Views of curriculum 44
2.4.4. Teachers’ beliefs about curriculum 47
2.4.5. Views of curriculum in foreign language teaching 48
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2.5. Summary 50

CHAPTER THREE: THE CONTEXT OF THE STUDY: THE EDUCATIONAL
SYSTEM IN ALGERIA
3.1. Introduction 52
3.2. Structure of the educational system 52
3.2.1. The school system 52
3.2.2. The administration system 54
3.3. Political history of foreign language education in Algeria 56
3.3.1. The colonial period (1830 – 1962) 56
3.3.2. The post-independence period (1962 – 1979) 57
3.3.3. The economic-liberal period (1980 – 1991) 58
3.3.4. The political-crisis period (1992 – 1999) 60
3.3.5. The National Reconciliation period (2000 – present) 61
3.4. The new foreign language teaching curriculum 62
3.5. Foreign language teacher training and development 66
3.5.1. The old teacher training system 66
3.5.2. The new teacher training system 67
3.5.3. The graduate teacher route programme 68
3.5.4. In-service training courses and continuous professional
development 69
3.6. Teachers’ working conditions 70
3.6.1. Professional problems 70
3.6.2. Social and economic problems 71
3.6.3. Security problems 72
3.7. Summary 73

CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
4.1. Introduction 75
4.2. A constructivist paradigm to the study of teachers’ beliefs 75
4.2.1. Exploratory-interpretive research paradigm 75
4.2.2. The challenges of researching teachers’ beliefs 78
4.2.3. A constructivist research paradigm 80
4.3. Researcher’s biography and stance 84
4.4. Sampling of participants and negotiating access 85
4.4.1. Sampling strategies 85
4.4.2. Negotiating access 86
4.5. Participants’ profiles 89
4.5.1. Participants for individual interviews 90
4.5.2. Participants for group interviews 92
4.6. Methods of data collection 94
4.6.1. Rationale for using interviews 96
4.6.2. Semi-structured individual interviews 98
4.6.3. Group interviews 98
4.6.4. Interview wording and schedule 100
4.6.5. Management of interviews 103
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4.6.6. Limitations of using interviews 106
4.7. Data analysis 107
4.7.1. Open coding 108
4.7.2. Theoretical coding 111
4.7.3. Selective coding 113
4.8. Issues of translation and acknowledgement of bias 115
4.9. Issues of ethics and trustworthiness 117
4.9.1. Ethic of respect 118
4.9.2. Informed consent 119
4.9.3. Incentives 119
4.9.4. Confidentiality and anonymity 120
4.9.5. Reporting back to the participants 120
4.9.6. Trustworthiness 121
4.10. Summary 124

CHAPTER FIVE: PRESENTATION OF THE FINDINGS: ALGERIAN
FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ BELIEFS
5.1. Introduction 125
5.2. Teaching and learning foreign languages in Algeria 126
5.2.1. Beliefs about the importance of learning foreign
languages 126
5.2.2. Beliefs about the current foreign language teaching
situation 128
5.2.3. Beliefs about the new curriculum 130
5.2.4. Beliefs about students’ learning and motivation 133
5.3. The school system 137
5.3.1. Beliefs about the Algerian school 137
5.3.2. Beliefs about resources 139
5.3.3. Beliefs about parents 141
5.3.4. Beliefs about the educational administration 142
5.4. Foreign language teachers’ knowledge and professional
development 144
5.4.1. Beliefs about teachers’ roles and responsibilities 144
5.4.2. Beliefs about teachers’ knowledge 148
5.4.3. Beliefs about personal experience with learning foreign
languages 153
5.4.4. Beliefs about choice of the teaching profession 154
5.4.5. Beliefs about training and professional development 156
5.5. Summary of the main findings 160

CHAPTER SIX: INTERPRETATION OF THE FINDINGS
6.1. Introduction 162
6.2. Interpretation of the main findings 162
6.2.1. Unclear views and definitions of curriculum 166
6.2.2. Politically-dominated, socially-distant and under-resourced
schools 170
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6.2.3. Ill-defined policy objectives for foreign language
teaching 181
6.2.4. Undervalued and oppressed teachers 192
6.3. Summary 204

CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHER
DEVELOPMENT IN ALGERIA
7.1. Introduction 206
7.2. Conclusions 207
7.3. Implications for teacher development in Algeria 212
7.3.1. Training courses that foster reflection 212
7.3.2. Social capital and education 213
7.3.3. Professional activism and teacher development
in Algeria 216
7.4. Directions for further research 220
7.5. Personal reflections on conducting research 221
7.6. Limitations of the study 223

APPENDICES 227

REFERENCES 328

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List of Tables
Page
Table 2.1 Views of curriculum in foreign language teaching 50
Table 3.1 New structure for foreign language teaching in Algeria 62
Table 3.2 Training for French and English language teachers in Algeria 68
Table 3.3 INSETs and seminars for foreign language teachers 70
Table 4.1 Possible paradigms in research 77
Table 4.2 Summary of participants and data collection methods 89
Table 4.3 Profiles of participants for individual interviews 92
Table 4.4 Profiles of participants for group interviews 94
Table 4.5 Core categories and their sub-categories from theoretical coding 112
Table 5.1 Summary of the main findings 161

List of Figures

Figure 6.1 System of incompatibility factors 165

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Acknowledgements

I am grateful to all the participants who took part in this study. I would like to thank
them all. I will never forget their professionalism and dedication.

I would like to thank my supervisors Dr Jane Jones and Professor Brian Street for
their help and patience. Their support, guidance, and encouragements are highly
appreciated. My thanks also go to all staff in the department of education for their
help and support, and in particular to Professor Constant Leung for his constructive
feedback.

Last but not least, I am also very grateful to all my teachers who have constantly
been a source of knowledge and enlightenment throughout the different stages of my
education, primary, middle, secondary and higher education. I am mostly grateful to
my teachers from the ITE and the University of Sétif, especially Dr. Keskes, Mr.
Lameche, Mr. Ziani, Mr. Berrahal, Mr. Bouazid, Mr. Hammoudi, Mr. Bendriss and
Ms. Belabed.

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Dedications

I dedicate this work to the following people:
• My mother, my father and my grandmother, May Allah Bless them all;
• My wife and my children, Jumana and Al Muntasir Billah;
• My brothers and sisters, and my uncles and aunts, especially Ali;
• My in-laws, especially my father-in-law Mustapha;
• My cousins, friends and colleagues, especially Hocine, Omar, Cherif, and
Lyamine.

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