A “New” Thematic, Integrated Curriculum for Primary Schools of Trinidad and Tobago: A Paradigm Shift

Abstract

After February 2014, teachers in Trinidad and Tobago were required to implement a new, integrated curriculum. The major considerations of the new curriculum were literacy and numeracy skills taught across the curriculum, assessment of learning, differentiated instruction, and the integration of Information Communication Technology (ICT). This study examined the efficacy of the new primary school curriculum introduced by the Ministry of Education of Trinidad and Tobago (MOETT). It measured prospective teachers’ abilities to implement the curriculum effectively to meet the needs of diverse students in the inclusive environment after systematic training. The study used a mixed-methods design aimed at triangulating a nonequivalent-group, posttest-only design with survey responses from the sample group of prospective teachers. Findings from the study revealed prospective teachers were more effective in meeting the needs of all students while implementing the new thematic, integrated curriculum when trained compared to the prospective teachers implementing the curriculum without training.