Voices Imprisoned Within Classrooms: A Critical Approach to Curriculum Development and Teacher Voice on a Preparatory Year English language Program in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

There is a serious lack of literature on teacher voice and curriculum development within a TESOL framework in Saudi Arabia. This small scale critical study reports the findings on perceptions of teacher voice and curriculum development by five male teachers who teach English as a foreign language on a preparatory year program in Saudi Arabia. Data collection methods included open ended questionnaires, semi structured face to face interviews, document reviews and member checking, as a technique for establishing the validity of an account. The study had an interpretative element at the level of data analysis, as the data was analysed using narrative analysis but remained critical in its agenda as it focused on oppression through lack of teacher voice in curriculum development. This research wanted to understand the lived experience of real people in context. A main facet of the critical paradigm is the belief that a certain group has an explicit political agenda, which struggles with culture and other groups’ interests Two main themes emerged, Firstly, a lack of teacher voice due to issues related to power, oppression, culture and managerialist ideologies, where the fundamental social units are not individuals, as capitalism would declare, but rather the fundamental social units are organizations, and secondly, a severe lack of involvement in curriculum development. Data showed that teachers believed they could be empowered if they were involved in this process. Findings indicated strong feelings of oppression due to a rigid hierarchical organizational structure and that teachers perceived their role as passive bystanders, who simply did as they were told. Implications for empowering teachers through their voice and including them in curriculum development and recommendations for future research are made.