Linking Teachers' Profiles to their Capability in Curriculum Implementation: Analysis of Factors that Shape and Influence EFL Classes

Abstract

An analysis of teachers' profiles and their influence on the curriculum implementation of English taught as a foreign language (EFL) constitutes the crux of the study. Teachers' profiles provide a gauge of their capability in curriculum implementation. Policies have been conceptualised to facilitate the seamless and smooth interaction between the teacher's role and task, and to ensure that the curriculum is implemented according to its goals and objectives. However, when teachers' profiles do not meet the requirements, and the policies do not facilitate the teachers' task, challenges arise that impact the teaching–learning process. Thus, this study analysed teachers’ profiles and the influence of these profiles on teachers’ curriculum implementation. The survey design captured 57 EFL teachers' profiles and their beliefs and perceptions about implemented policies. The findings reveal that most of these teachers had an intermediate proficiency level and more than a decade of teaching experience, and most taught at high school level in urban areas. Pedagogically, teachers employed communication-driven activities; however, certain conditions, such as big classes, insufficient time, and limited resources, were factors that may have affected the effective facilitation of the implementation of the English component of the curriculum. Teachers' profiles and institutional support are key factors that influence the outcome of policy implementation. Having an appropriate professional profile in the teaching pool and providing the appropriate pedagogical and curriculum support is pivotal to curriculum implementation of teaching a foreign language such as English in a predominantly Spanish-speaking country such as Ecuador.