People's Democratic Rebuplic of Algeria Ministry Of
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PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REBUPLIC OF ALGERIA MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH Frères Mentouri Constantine1 University Faculty of Letters and Languages Department of English Language Towards a more Democratic Model to English Language Curriculum Development through Task−based Action Research: The Case of Secondary School Teachers of the Wilaya of Sétif A Thesis Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctorat ES-Sciences in Applied Linguistics By Miss. Ikhlas GHERZOULI Board of Examiners Chairman: Pr. Hacene SAADI Pr. Frères Mentouri Constantine1 University Supervisor: Pr. Abdelhak NEMOUCHI Pr. LBM Oum El Bouaghi University Examiner: Pr. Said KESKES Pr. ML. Debaghine Sétif2 University Examiner: Pr. Ryad BELOUAHEM Pr. Frères Mentouri Constantine1 University Examiner: Dr. Charif BENBOULAID MCA M. Benboulaid Batna2 University Academic Year 2017-2018 Declaration I declare that, except where explicit reference is made to the contribution of others, that this thesis is the result of my own work and has not been submitted for any other degree at this or any other institution. Ikhlas GHERZOULI I Dedication I dedicate this work to my wonderful family. I dedicate this thesis to my father who taught me that education is the way to a brighter future. I dedicate this work to my mother for her enormous contribution to getting me where I am. I dedicate this thesis to my sisters, Ibtissem, Imen, Ahlem, and my brother Isaak, who have been supportive friends on this arduous journey. I also dedicate my degree to my lovely nephews Barae and Tayem. I would not have achieved my doctoral degree without the strength and love of my family. II Acknowledgements The completion of this thesis has been built on the cooperation and enthusiasm of many people. My first and foremost acknowledgement is due to my supervisor Prof. Abdelhak NEMOUCHI for his patient and endless support, guidance and encouragement during my research journey. I would also like to thank the members of the jury, Pr. Hacene SAADI, Pr. Ryad BELOUAHEM, Pr. Said KESKES, and Dr. Chérif BENBOULAID for taking time to read and examine my work. Pride of place must go to the respondents themselves, particularly the English language teachers who responded to my questionnaire throughout the secondary schools of Sétif province as well as the inspectors who were willing to give their time and accepted to be interviewed. My due acknowledgements are also to all my teachers, from the primary school level to this day; and all the wonderful people, too many to mention, who have positively impacted my life. Last but not least, my special gratitude is due to my best friends Berkani Souad, Khabcheche Houda, Blilita Kamel, and Zedam Redouane for their physical, emotional and moral support. III Abstract In the 21st century, the need for countries around the world to circumnavigate through the impact of globalization with more responsive school curricula was evident. In Algeria, curriculum reform of the year 2003 was an effort towards this end. In view of the crucial role that teachers play when involved in curriculum reforms, the study seeks to recommend a model to curriculum development that seeks to involve teachers by combining top-down government mandates with bottom-up teachers-based initiatives. More explicitly, the study aims at exploring and identifying perceptions, views and concerns of secondary school English language teachers’ on their implementation of Curriculum 2003 for English language teaching. The study also aims at revealing barriers to their autonomy and involvement in curriculum development in order to pave the way for a deeper understanding and planning towards such an involvement. Ultimately, the definitive purpose of the investigation was to illustrate how teacher action research can be encouraged in schools to allow for teachers’ initiatives to supply top-down attempts to develop curricula. The critical paradigm was the conceptual framework guiding the present research with data availed through a questionnaire survey for secondary school English language teachers at Sétif province and asynchronous email interviews with five national education inspectors of secondary schools. Proportional stratified random sampling provided the 156 participants of the study. Quantitative data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS 23.0 whereas the process of analysis for qualitative data was built upon the techniques of thematic analysis. The findings advocated the existence of imbalanced power relation between the government and teachers with the former controlling and dictating curriculum from the centre as well as excluding teachers from the whole process of curriculum development. Though the good intentions of the curriculum 2003 are acknowledged, these were constrained by a multitude of curriculum, instructional, organizational, and institutional factors. Several concerns to be considered for teacher training and support also evolved from analysis of teachers’ perceptions of the curriculum reform and implementation. The findings and recommendations of this research are expected to alert both teachers and policy makers to consider seriously and acknowledge the delicate role that teachers should play and the status quo they should have in curriculum development. The findings of the study have also implications for policy makers, who can either encourage or discourage curriculum reforms and therefore possibly affect the sustainability of the teaching power and overall education effectiveness. IV Key to Abbreviations and Acronyms ACC: Administrative Coordination Council AFD: AgenceFrançaise de Development (French Agency of Development) BA: Bachelors of Arts BAC: Baccalaureate Exam BEF: Brevet d'Enseignement Fondamental (Basic Education Certificate) BEG: Brevet d’Enseignement Général (Certificate of General Education) BEM: Brevet d’Enseignement Moyen (Middle School Certificate) BEPC: Brevet d’Etudes du Premier Cycle du Second Degré (Middle School Leaving Certificate) BS: Bachelors of Science BSC: Brevet Supérieur de Capacité (professional teacher certificate) BT: Brevet de Technicien (Technical Aptitude) BTS: Brevet de Technicien Supérieur (Technical Expertise) CAMEMD: Le Centre d’Approvisionnement et de Maintenance en Equipements et Matériels Didactiques (The Supply and Maintenance Centre for Equipment and Training Materials) CAP: Certificat d’Aptitude Pédagogique(teaching certificate) CAP: Certificat d’Aptitude Professionnelle (Vocational Aptitude Certificate) CAPEF: Certificat d’Aptitude au Professorat de l’Enseignement Fondamental (Middle School Teaching Certificate) CAPEM: Certificat D’Aptitude au Professorat de l’Enseignement Moyen (Middle School Teaching Certificate) CAPES: Certificat d’Aptitude au Professorat de l’Enseignement Secondaire (secondary school teaching certificate) V CBA: Competency-Based Approach CC: Class Council CCGP: Certificat de Culture Générale et Professionnelle(General Culture Certificate) CCGP: Certificat de Culture Générale et Professionnelle (General and Professional Culture Certificate) CEP: Certificat d’Etudes Primaires (Primary School Leaving Certificate) CFA: Centre de Formation d’Apprentis (Apprenticeship Centres) CFEI: Certificat de Fin d’Etudes d’Instructeur (Certificate of Completion) CFPS: Certificat de Formation Professionnelle Spécialisée (Specialized Vocational Training) CLA: Conseil des Lycées d’Algérie (Council for Secondary Schools in Algiers) CLS: Comité pour les Libertés Syndicales (Committee for Trade Unions’ Freedom) CMP: Certificat de Maitrise Professionnelle (Vocational Expertise Certificate) CNA: Le Centre National d’Alphabétisation (National Centre for Literacy) CNAPEST: Conseil National Autonome des Professeurs de L’Enseignement Secondaire et Technique (National Autonomous Council of Secondary and Technical Education Teachers) CNDP: Le Centre National de la Documentation Pédagogique (National Centre for Educational Documentation) CNEF: Le Conseil National de l’éducation et de la formation (National Council of Education and Training) CNEG: Centre National d’Enseignement Généralisé(National Centre for Generalised Education) CNFCE: Centre National de la Formation des Cadres de l’Education (National Centre for Training of Education Managers) CNIIPDTICE: Le Centre National d’Intégration des Innovations Pédagogiques et de Développement des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication en Education VI (National Centre for Integration of Educational Innovation and Development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)) CNP: Conseil National des Programmes(National Council of Programmes) CNP: Commission Nationale des Programmes (National Committee of Programmes) CNPLET: Le Centre National Pédagogique et Linguistique pour l’Enseignement de Tamazight (The National Pedagogical and Linguistic Centre for the Instruction of Tamazight) CNR: Commission Nationale des Réformes (National Commission for Reforms) CNRSE: Commission Nationale de Réforme du Système Educatif (National Commission for Reform of the Educational System) DE: Director of Education DEA: Diplome d’Etudes Approfondies (Diploma of Advanced Studies) DEP1: Diplôme d’Enseignement Professionnel du Premier Degré (Basic Vocational Studies Diploma) DEP2: Diplôme d’Enseignement Professionnel du Second Degré (Higher Vocational Studies Diploma) EN: Ecoles Normale (Normal Schools) ENS: Ecoles Normales Supérieures (teacher training colleges) ENSEP: Ecole Normale Supérieure d’Enseignement Polytechnique ENSET: Ecole Normale