Secondary School English Teachers’ Knowledge and Practice on CEFR-Aligned English Curriculum

Hui Yin Ng,Mohamad Zohir Ahmad

doi:10.21315/apjee2021.36.1.5

Abstract

The Ministry of Education aligned the national English curriculum with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) to increase the quality and standard of English Language. The success in implementing this educational reform is highly dependent on teachers. Teachers need to have sufficient knowledge in the incorporation of CEFR in their teaching to develop the ability of students to meet targeted CFER levels of English proficiency. The purpose of this study is to identify the teachers’ level of knowledge and practice on CEFR-aligned English curriculum. A total of 148 teachers who teach Form 1 and Form 2 English from the secondary schools in Pulau Pinang were involved in this study. The instrument of this study was a closed-ended questionnaire adapted from Kır (2011) and Ngo (2017). The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Inferential analysis was conducted using Pearson correlation and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test. The findings showed that the level of knowledge (M = 3.49, SD = 0.58) and practice of teachers (M = 3.50, SD = 0.55) on CEFR-aligned English curriculum were moderate. Also, there was a strong relationship between teachers’ knowledge and practice on CEFR-aligned English curriculum. There was a significant difference existed in the level of knowledge and practice on CEFR-aligned English curriculum based on demographic factor namely the type of training received by teachers on CEFR. The findings of this study implied that the training and workshops ought to be conducted frequently as a support for teachers towards the implementation.

Highlights

In the current era of globalisation, learning English language is a necessity
There is a significant number of English language teachers who were assessed with the Cambridge Placement Test (CPT) and did not meet the minimum proficiency standard required for teaching English language
The findings in this study indicated that teachers have a moderate level in knowledge and moderate level in practice on Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)-aligned English curriculum

Summary

Introduction

Proficiency in English means that there is more competitive advantage in today’s era of globalisation. In response to this new development, the government has correctly emphasised on the learning of English to facilitate the acquiring of new knowledge and skills so that a knowledge-based economy would be in place (Thirusanku & Yunus, 2014). Teachers need to be proficient in the English language to facilitate the teaching and learning process, besides helping students acquire high levels of English proficiency. There is a significant number of English language teachers who were assessed with the Cambridge Placement Test (CPT) and did not meet the minimum proficiency standard required for teaching English language. In 2012, almost 65% of the 24,075 English language option teachers failed to reach the minimum target (Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2014)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion