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International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2)

(2021) 1193-1208

IJCI
International Journal of

Curriculum and Instruction

English as a foreign language teachers’ perspectives

on new curriculum reform at Algerian middle schools

Azzeddine Boudouaia a *

a School of Education, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China

Abstract

This study investigates teachers’ perspectives on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) curriculum reform in

Algeria. The specific objectives of the inquiry are to examine teachers’ views about EFL curriculum reform

relevance and procedures and draw a conclusion from their perspectives. 176 EFL teachers from middle

schools in Algeria are chosen to serve as respondents in this research. The requisite data collected through a

survey and semi-structured interview. The SPSS (22) programme is used to analyse quantitative data,

whereas content analysis is subjected to qualitative data. The study establishes that the majority of teachers

consider reform as not relevant to them. The findings also show negative perspectives about procedures

undertaken by the government. Hence, the study implies that Algerian teachers' views about the new EFL

reform are not in the same boat with the government's intentions and actions. This study recommends that

efforts have to be made by the government and other decision-makers to rethink the reform and teachers’

needs and motivation.

access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY-NC-ND)

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

Keywords: EFL teachers; perspectives; curriculum reform; middle schools

1. Introduction

This study is premised in the area of research, which suggests that understanding

the teachers’ perspectives is one of the prominent ways to get better hindsight of

curriculum reform effectiveness. The reason for this is that teachers are well familiar

with curriculum elements and key actors in a curriculum implementation process (Rea-

Dickens & Germaine, 1998). So, it is not easy to think that the curriculum

implementation process and learning can be improved without the involvement of the

teachers’ commitment (McKernan, 2008). Teachers are the key players and main

* Corresponding author’s name: Azzeddine Boudouaia.
E-mail address: azzeddine-saida@hotmail.com

1194 Azzeddine Boudouaia, / International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1193-1208

decision-makers in the classroom; they are filters through which the planned curriculum

can be applied. Their voice and perspectives may glaringly represent an image of reform

value and effectiveness.

Recently, a significant volume of research has been witnessed in the field of teachers’

perspectives about curriculum reform (Bailey, 2000; Altinyelken, 2010; Park and Sung,

2013; Uztosun and Troudi, 2015; Ostovar-Namaghi, 2017 and Mbarushimana and Allida,

2017; Canaran and Mirici, 2020). For example, Ostovar-Namaghi (2017) recognised the

incompatibility between teachers and policymakers’ interests. Teachers focus only on the

classroom present environment. They ignore the curriculum, as its components are not

relevant. In contrast, policymakers concentrate on broader issues that go beyond the

immediate classroom walls as they serve the uniformity, convergent practice, and

efficiency and covert privatization. In the same vein, Uztosun and Troudi (2015)

investigated teachers’ perspectives about curriculum change at departments of the

English language in Turkey. They found that the change process neglects some essential

steps of the curriculum development process, for instance, needs analysis, training

programmes, and evaluation. Furthermore, in another study about Korean perspectives

about reform and its implementation, Park and Sung (2013) recognised negative feelings

among the participants, which in return influence their commitment to the

implementation process. Similarly, in his study, Bailey (2000) claimed that although EFL

teachers have prominent roles in the curriculum implementation, their voices,

perspectives, and feelings are snubbed. In addition, Mbarushimana and Allida (2017)

studied curriculum reform in Rwanda and teachers’ involvement in programmes of

technical training (TVET). They focused on four variables: Significance, preparedness,

participation, and implementation. The authors showed that practitioners are satisfied

and comfortable with the modalities of curriculum change. Altinyelken, also, (2010)

identified some hindrances related to curriculum and its implementation despite the

enthusiasm from teachers toward the new-reformed curriculum. The obstacles are the

length of the curriculum, the absence of suitable teaching and learning materials, large

classes with a significant number of students, and inappropriate teacher training

courses.

It can be pointed out that the research studies reviewed above have successfully

exemplified teachers’ perspectives on curriculum reform since different results and

various contexts are presented. However, our close examination of the literature

pertaining to the subject in question made us realize that teachers' views about the new

EFL curriculum reform in Algeria have not yet been undertaken. Several years have

passed since started implementing the new curriculum in Algerian middle schools, and

evidence that if teachers have positive views about it is not clear yet. No published

papers have been found reporting on this issue, except for few Algerian studies, instead,

were conducted about the first reform (Bellalem, 2014; Gherzouli, 2018). For instance,

Azzeddine Boudouaia, / International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1193-1208 1195

Gherzouli (2018) studied English language teachers’ attitudes, perspectives, and views

about the previous reform and its implementation. She found that all participants have

dim and poor views about it. She confirmed that training programmes and support

offered by the government left a small impact on teachers’ practices in the classrooms.

Bellalem (2014), on the other hand, explored English and French language teachers’

beliefs about curriculum innovation in Algeria. He identified negative beliefs among the

participants regarding the innovation due to a mismatch between their beliefs and

reform.

It has also been noticed that despite the interest offered by the Algerian government

to improve the educational curriculum, teachers had not been involved in the planning

process. They are forced to accept and apply the curriculum content. At Algerian schools,

teachers are required and strictly enforced to comply with the national curricula as well

as the ministerial instructions (Law N° 08-04 of January 23, 2008, Article 20). In this

regard, the present work is designed to hover around EFL teachers’ perspectives on new

curriculum reform regarding the Algerian context to bridge the gap in the literature and

give tutors a chance to comment on the new curriculum. It is hoped that this research

will have a significant contribution to literature as it addresses Algeria as a new context

of an investigation.

The following questions guide this study:

1. Do teachers find the new reform relevant to them? Why?

2. How do teachers perceive the process of curriculum reform made in 2016?

3. What conclusion can we draw for EFL teachers' views about the new EFL reform?

2. Method

2.1. Research design

In an attempt to answer the above-stated research questions, a mixed research

methodology was followed. This design helps a researcher use different sources to

gather the required data (Creswell, 2002). Adopting a mixed method can prove the

validity of data collected from a single approach (Tashakkori and Teddlie, 2003). This

study employed two research methods in data collection: A survey and semi-structured

interview.

2.2. Survey

A survey was adopted to collect relevant data for this study; it can be employed

successfully with many individuals in different situations targeting various

issues (Dörnyei, 2003, p.10). The authors developed the survey to be given to Algerian

1196 Azzeddine Boudouaia, / International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1193-1208

EFL teachers to investigate their perspectives on the new EFL curriculum reform

relevance and procedures. The researchers separate three sections for the survey. The

first section includes demographic information, gender, educational qualifications and

teaching experience. The second section revolves around curriculum reform relevance,

and the last section tackles curriculum reform process procedures. The survey consists of

some items from Kopweh's (2014) survey and some previous studies (Altinyelken, 2010;

Uztosun and Troudi, 2015; Gherzouli, 2018) because the belief is that they are necessary

to be examined for the Algerian context, the items are the following:

1. Proper management of curriculum reform enables the intended educational goals of a

country to be attained. (Kopweh, 2014)

2. My school/college received sufficient funding to procure enough books for the new

curriculum (Kopweh, 2014)

3. Funding for obtaining ICT Materials was supplemented on time (Uztosun and Troudi,

2015)

4. In my school/college, sufficient training was done prior to the implementation of the

new curriculum (Kopweh, 2014)

5. My district has difficult terrain that makes it difficult to reach from the Ministry.

6. My school was able to procure sufficient non-textual materials for the new curriculum

(Kopweh, 2014)

7. In reforming curriculum, communication between the various levels of the education

system is crucial (Kopweh, 2014)

8. The policymakers took into considerations the needs of your school to facilitate the

implementation process (Altinyelken, 2010)

9. The implementation of the curriculum was regularly and consistently monitored by

the responsible authorities/inspectors (Gherzouli, 2018)

5-point Likert scale was used (“Strongly disagree”, “Disagree”, “Neutral”, “Agree” and

“Strongly agree”). Cohen et al. (2009) advise the rating scale in inquiries that look for

views and perspectives.

Since the reform was introduced in 2016, the participants were selected based on

their teaching experience, i.e., those who have six years of teaching experience and more

were called to participate in the study. After the instrument was made ready, it was sent

via e-mails to 130 teachers in order to make sure that the questionnaire items meet the

necessary standards. Cronbach’s test was employed to test its reliability. Results showed

that the scale has a score of 0.76, which is acceptable. The survey was sent again via e-

mails to 560 teachers working at different schools in Algeria. The collaboration rate was

unsatisfactory in that only 176 teachers answered positively. The, the results were

analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.

Azzeddine Boudouaia, / International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1193-1208 1197

To detect the validity of the survey confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using principal

component analysis was used. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) generated three

factors, which explains 42.2% of the total variance. The factor loadings of item 1 (Proper

management of curriculum reform enables the intended educational goals of a country to

be attained), item 5(My district has difficult terrain that makes it difficult to reach from

the Ministry), and item 6(My school was able to procure sufficient non-textual materials

for the new curriculum) are lower than .40. Based on EFA results, confirmatory factor

analysis using LISREL 8.53 was used to examine the construct validity of the items.

Table 1: the CFA results for the examination.

a X2 =287.27, df = 33, p= .00, RMSEA =.077, NNFI =.85 and GFI = .85
b X2 =94.57, df =20, p=.00, RMSEA =.057, NNFI =. 94 and GFI = .98

Based on the table above, it was found that the indices of Non-Normed Fit Index

(NNFI) and Comparative Fit Index (CFI) were lower than .90 (X2 =287.27, df = 33, p=

.00, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = .075, NNFI = .86, CFI= .89

and Goodness of Fit Index (GFI) = .96); and the factor loadings of the items 1, 6, and 8

were less than .40. In addition, after deleting the three items, the goodness of fit indices

appeared much better (X2 =94.57, df =20, p=.00, RMSEA =.056, NNFI =. 96 and

GFI =.98) and the factor loadings of all six factors were higher than .40. The reliability

score was tested again, and the general analysis for the survey shows that Cronbach’s

Alpha is 0.74, which means that the scale items are reliable.

2.3. Semi-structured interview

The interview was used in this study. The essence of this tool is that it yields rich

comprehension of participants' experiences, views, needs, attitudes and reactions

Items Original Factor a Revised Factor b

1. Proper management of curriculum reform enables the intended

educational goals of a country to be attained.

.23 _

2. My school/college received sufficient funding to procure enough

books for the new curriculum

.69 .73

3. Funding for obtaining ICT Materials was supplemented on time .78 .67

4. In my school/college, sufficient training was done prior to the

implementation of the new curriculum

.53 .49

5. My district has difficult terrain that makes it difficult to reach

from the Ministry

.28 _

6. My school was able to procure sufficient non-textual materials for

the new curriculum

.30 _

7. In reforming curriculum, communication between the various

levels of the education system is crucial

.66 .64

8. The policymakers took into considerations the needs of your school

to facilitate the implementation process

.71 .74

9. The implementation of the curriculum was regularly and

consistently monitored by the responsible authorities/inspectors

.59 .63

1198 Azzeddine Boudouaia, / International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1193-1208

to the problem (Cohen et al., ibid). The type of interview adopted in this enquiry

is linked to the purpose of fulfilment. The semi-structured interview is preferred as it

provides access to perceptions, opinions, and practices to gain more clarification of

provided answers. The instrument was developed based on reviewing some previous

studies. Its validity was checked by consulting university English language teachers, six

EFL middle school teachers having a good experience in teaching, and two EFL

supervisors of middle schools whose responsibility is to train English language teachers.

From the survey’s participants, ten EFL teachers were selected to be interviewed to

thoroughly investigate their perspectives. A tape recorder was implemented to ensure

participants’ expressions and words during the analysis stage. A thematic content

analysis method was used to interpret the collected data.

3. Results

3.1. Background information

This study included full-time public middle school English language teachers who

were randomly chosen from different regions in Algeria. Statistical data about their

demographics in terms of gender, educational qualifications, and teaching experience

are addressed in the first section of the survey. The following table illustrates the

results:

Table 2. Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents

The table shows that this study consists of 79.5 % of females and 20.5% of males.

59.7% have the License degree and 31.1% have Master degree, whereas 9.1% have a

Doctorate. Besides, 48.3% of the participants have 6 to 11 years of teaching experience,

whereas 23.3% have 12 to 16 years of teaching experience. 17% have 17-21% years of

Demographic

Characteristics

Description Respondents

Frequency Percent (%)

Gender

Male 36 20.5

Female 140 79.5

Total 176 100.0

Educational

Qualifications

License 105 59.7

Master 55 31.1

Doctorate 16 9.1

Total 176 100.0

Teaching Experience

6-11 Years 85 48.3

12-16 Years 41 23.3

17-21 Years 30 17

22 Years and more 20 11.4

Total 176 100.0

Azzeddine Boudouaia, / International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1193-1208 1199

teaching experience, and 11.4% have 22 years and more teaching experience.

3.2. Curriculum reform relevance

3.2.1. Survey Results

The first aim of this study is to find out whether the new reform is relevant for

teachers or not. The second section of the survey included a dichotomous question about

whether teachers find the new change pertinent to them. The results are the following:

Table 3: Teachers’ Viewpoints on Curriculum Relevance

Frequency distributions for answers about participants' views on curriculum reform

relevance show that 80.7% find the reform not relevant; whereas only 19.3% indicate

that it is suitable to them.

3.2.2. Interview Results

To support the survey results, two groups of participants were selected from the

participants of the survey. The first group includes four teachers who answered “Yes” to

curriculum reform relevance, whereas the second group involves six teachers who

respond by “No.” Such grouping aims to explore the teachers’ perspectives in-depth and

offer study findings more confidence. Teachers were asked to clarify the reasons behind

the relevance and non-relevance of the curriculum. The questions are open-ended to

allow the participants to explain them. Their answers revolve around the following

themes:

3.2.2.1. Curriculum reform relevance reason: Assessment of learners’ learning

progress

As far as the first group of participants is concerned, the participants showed that the

reform is effective and suitable to assess learners' progress. Teacher A declared: ‘the

content of the current curriculum is based on mastering competencies and skills that

help me know my learners’ strengths and weaknesses.” Teacher D also contended: “This

curriculum helps me to get a clear image of my learners’ potentials; it facilitates the

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Yes 34 19.3 19.3 19.3

No 142 80.7 80.7 100.0

Total 176 100.0 100.0

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process of assessment to know if I can go further in my course.” Put in plainer wording,

the new reform is competency-based, which has appeared, paving the way for teachers to

identify the learners’ potentials. It helps teachers to denote whether learners have got

the requisite competencies, which propels them to keep step with knowledge

supplication. O’sullivan and Burce (2014) explicitly reported that the featuring

characteristic of competency-based education is it measures learning rather than time,

and students’ progress by demonstrating their competencies. It means they prove that

they have mastered the knowledge and skills -called competencies- required for a

particular course, regardless of how long it takes.

3.2.2.2. Curriculum reform non-relevance reasons

The second group of participants who confirmed the unsuitability of the new reform to

their teaching based their answers on some background issues, such as inability to

involve learners in the learning process, difficulty of getting real discovery learning, and

forcing teachers to follow the curriculum contents. The following sections explore these

reasons in details.

3.2.2.2.1. Inability to involve learners in learning

Some participants contended that learners are still passive receivers of knowledge

rather than being active participants who take charge of their own learning. For

instance, teacher B said: “So far I think this reform is not suitable to me because it is not

clear and many lessons are so complicated... I consider this reform as passive in which

learners’ participation in constructing the lesson is absent, so I am the one who is

responsible for knowledge supplication.” Teacher E declared: “The new curriculum reform

has not met my needs yet... What we need as teachers is to boost learners' engagement

and participation by providing as much as many opportunities for discovery learning.”

When these two excerpts are examined, it seems that the sole focus of this new reform is

total reliance on supplying new skills rather than engaging learners to construct

knowledge by themselves. It appears that the change is evocative of the undeniable truth

because of its content, learners become passive, and knowledge construction results just

from the teachers’ part. However, in a competency-based curriculum, it is vital to involve

students in tasks that enable them to gain hands-on experiences that have a far-reaching

impact as far as their comprehension of the taught content is concerned (Wangeleja,

2010). This finding might not flow together with Sudsomboon’s assumption (2010) of

teachers’ roles within a competency-based language teaching framework. He affirmed

that in general assumptions of competency-based curriculum implementation, teachers

are expected to change their role as knowledge transmitters and take the role of coaches

and designers of instruction.

Azzeddine Boudouaia, / International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1193-1208 1201

3.2.2.2.2. Difficulty of getting real discovery learning

The study confirms that the new reform lacks providing ample opportunities to have

real discovery play, thereby influencing teachers’ instruction. Teacher C shared her

perspectives as follow: “Based on the comparison I made between the new reform content

and my teaching in the classroom, the learning process is still traditional, i.e., my role is

to supply information and learners just receive”; whereas teacher F avowed: “Because of

curriculum content and learners’ level, the teaching process is based only on providing

knowledge in a very traditional way, and without having any opportunities for discovery

learning.” Teachers seem confused and astonished at the reform as discovery learning

has lacked in the classrooms. This result can be bound up with the assumption that

curriculum planners have been erected on, which is learners get into the classroom

already mastering communication skills that would enable them to interact with tutors

comfortably. Admittedly, a glance at learners' communication skills may prove that their

English proficiency is very low. Having this reality which curriculum planners and

policymakers reject may trigger teachers and learners to not fully and truly perform their

roles. Bobbit (1913) considered the first activity and target of curriculum development is

to “discover the activities which ought to make up the lives of students alongside with the

abilities and personal qualities necessary for proper performance.”

3.2.2.2.3. Forcing teachers to follow the curriculum contents

The findings show that teachers found themselves obliged to follow the curriculum

contents and having little freedom and autonomy to adjust to the content. Teacher C

declared: “Developing communicative competence cannot be accomplished by following

only the content of the curriculum because the aim is very difficult for learners; rather,

having the freedom to adjust to the content to suit learners’ abilities is required.”

Besides, teacher B added: “I can say that autonomy is absent in teaching; I cannot follow

the content as it is because it does not suit my learners' level and my aims.”

Nevertheless, given this result, it is essential to note that constructing a cadre of

competent learners requires sustaining freedom for teachers to select the most suitable

teaching methods for pupils. Autonomy may probably ensure teachers’ commitment to

realize their learners’ potentials and attain reform objectives. Kelly (2009) clarifies that

there is a wide gap between the idea of a project held by its central planners and the

realities of its implementation, if that is even the word, in the classroom by the teachers.

The teacher, like the artist, the philosopher, and the man of letters, can only perform his

work adequately if he feels himself to be an individual directed by an inner creative

impulse, not dominated and fettered by an outside authority” (Russell, 1950, p.159, cited

in Lamie, 2005).

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3.3. Curriculum Reform Process Procedures

3.3.1. Survey Results

Another aim this research attempts to investigate is teachers' perspectives about

curriculum reform process procedures. The following statements are included in the

second section of the survey: My school/college received sufficient funding to procure

enough books for the new curriculum, funding for obtaining ICT Materials was

supplemented on time, in my school/college, sufficient training was done prior to the

implementation of the new curriculum, in reforming curriculum, communication

between the various levels of the education system existed, the policymakers took into

consideration the needs of your school to facilitate the implementation process, and the

implementation of the curriculum was regularly and consistently monitored by the

responsible authorities/inspectors. The results are as following:

Table 4. Teachers’ Perspectives on Curriculum Reform Process Procedures

As it is patent from the table above, teachers were not satisfied with curriculum

reform process procedures. For instance, 36.4% disagreed with the statement of

sufficient funding to obtain books was provided. Teachers demonstrated the same views

of ICT materials funding 51.7%. Teachers were asked too about policymakers and

schools administration intervention. For example, 34.7% reported their disagreement

about the existence of communication with the government and schools administration;

whereas 34.7% declared that the Ministry of National Education did not monitor their

Statements 1-6

Strongly

Disagree

Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly

Agree

f % f % f % f % f %

1. My school/college received sufficient

funding to procure enough books for the new

curriculum

56 31.8 64 36.4 12 6.8 27 15.3 17 9.7

2. Funding for obtaining ICT Materials was

supplemented on time 91 51.7 56 31.8 23 13.1 2 1.1 4 2.3

3. In my school/college, sufficient training

was done prior to the implementation of the

new curriculum

39.2

36.4

1.1

14.8

8.5

4. In reforming curriculum, communication

between the various levels of the education

system existed

34.7

11.9

10.2

14.2

5. The policymakers took into considerations

the needs of your school to facilitate the

implementation process

50.6

38.1

2.3

5.1

6. The implementation of the curriculum

was regularly and consistently monitored by

the responsible authorities/inspectors

22.7

34.7

18.8

6.8

Azzeddine Boudouaia, / International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1193-1208 1203

implementation of the curriculum. The results also implied that 50.6% strongly

disagreed that the Ministry of National Education took into consideration the schools’

needs to facilitate the curriculum implementation process. In comparison, 39.2%

strongly disagreed that the Ministry of National Education provided sufficient training

before implementing the new curriculum.

3.3.2. Interview Results

During the interview, negative views about reform process procedures are also

remarked. The participants’ answers revolve around two main issues, which are the

unavailability of ICT materials and unproductivity of training materials. The following

sections explore these themes in details.

3.3.2.1. Unavailability of ICT materials supplication

All teachers agreed that the government’s procedures through the Ministry of

National Education were not valid, and employing adjustments are necessary. Teacher

C declared: “While in some schools, some modern technology tools, including interactive

whiteboards, are available, whereas in my school, we do not have even CD-players.”

Teacher D also said: “Whenever my school’s administration asked for more funds to

cover supplication of ICT tools in the classrooms, a response from responsible

authorities is always too late.” These comments indicate that non- supplication of ICT

materials led to poor management. Such comments reveal that ICT materials may be

necessary for implementation survival and needed as essential elements to set the

preconditions for real change in practice. However, Ornstein and Hunkins (2018)

stressed the need to render teachers with more support to sense the real meaning of

change. They stated: “curriculum designers must provide the necessary support for their

recommended curricular innovations or modifications.” If the new reform aim is to get

high-quality learning, teachers must be supported over time so that facilitation can be

sensed.

3.3.2.2. Unproductivity of training programs

All teachers confirmed that training programmes offered by inspectors were passive.

Teacher A said: "The inspectors forced teachers to take part in the training programmes

they organised, but they are useless since they do not address teachers' needs and

expectations. Most of these programmes are not practical. In other words, inspectors’

intention is to show to the official authorities they have finished with training

programmes." Parallel to this, teacher C affirmed: “All the training programmes

organised by my inspectors were theory-based without any tangible illustrations. What

we need are practice-based programmes. These latter may give me a good command and

1204 Azzeddine Boudouaia, / International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1193-1208

understanding of how to deal with my learners.” When translating these excerpts, it can

be averred that the training programmes were no more its aim as they functioned in a

void. Although the training programmes constitute a vital aspect in the implementation

of the new reform, their effectiveness was not valid, which have a hand in fracturing

teachers’ performance. Nevertheless, several researchers have considered the

importance of teacher training effectiveness for implementing a good competency

curriculum in the Algerian context (Ameziane & Guendouzi, 2005; Guemide &

Benachaiba, 2012; Boudouda & Khelkhal, 2016).

4. Conclusion

It is worth mentioning that this study is exploratory; it is designed to investigate

Algerian teachers' perspectives on new EFL curriculum reform of middle schools by

tackling two main points: the new reform relevance and process procedures. The

perspectives presented in this research show worryingly facts. The results conspicuously

demonstrate that some teachers find the new reform relevant to assess learner’s

learning progress whereas others consider it as not suitable for involving learners in

learning, getting real discovery learning, and applying autonomy in teaching. The study

also reveals that teachers have negative perspectives about procedures undertook by the

government. To this point, the conclusion that can be drawn for this research is that

Algerian teachers’ views about the new EFL reform and the government's intentions

and actions are not in the same boat. The teachers’ perspectives presented in this

research are considered as a warning call directed to the government, that this reform

divorced from transparency reality. In this regard, it is clear that the Ministry of

National Education has to look again at this reform and try to develop it based on

teachers’ participation and viewpoints because their ideas and values, which by the end

concretized the teaching process. By doing so, teachers will get a good command of

dealing with reform faults and weaknesses. Besides, there is a need to conduct regular

analysis of teachers' needs and expectations to enable them to be fully involved in the

teaching process. Additionally, the Ministry of National Education and other agents,

like schools' administration and inspectors, should support, guide, and train teachers

and build their willingness and hopes regarding the reform policy application.

This research presents a preliminary investigation of the teachers' perspectives on

the new curriculum reform. Our hopes are that this research may stand as a

contribution to the literature of education in general and that of curriculum in

particular. As far as there are different perspectives, the study provides further

scientific evidence that there are critical problems in the curriculum and reform process

procedures. This, in turn, can encourage other researchers to delve more into them and

provide newly tested results and solutions. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, this

Azzeddine Boudouaia, / International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1193-1208 1205

study is the first of its kind that investigated Algerian English language teachers'

perspectives of the new curriculum reform since its first implementation in middle

schools in 2016. Hence, taking the current study results into account may help the

Algerian government and instructional stakeholders improve the understanding of the

topic find better ways to change and improve it positively.

As a last word, a number of research suggestions on the topic could be made for the

researchers. First, this study aimed to explore EFL teachers’ perspectives on the new

curriculum reform in Algerian middle schools using both survey and semi-structured

interview. A classroom observation could be a good research tool to gain more insights on

the topic. Next, the participants of this study are EFL teachers from different middle

schools in Algeria; a similar research could be designed for school principals or learners

at middle schools to identify their perspectives on the curriculum reform.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Prof. Nacif Labed from Algeria for taking time and effort

necessary to revise the manuscript.

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