Curricular perceptions and pedagogical orientation of school teachers

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to find out the perceptions of school teachers on different aspects of curriculum such as concept of curriculum, local curriculum, textbooks, learners, classroom activities, evaluation and co-curricular activities and the interrelationship between teachers‟ curricular perceptions and pedagogical activities. This study also tried to analyze how far the teachers' orientation influenced their pedagogical processes. This study followed qualitative research methodology. Kavre district was the field for this study. Secondary school teachers of three major subject areas: language, mathematics and social studies and students of that level were the research participants. Phenomenological research approach was used to collect the lived experiences of the research participants. The collected information was triangulated and interpreted linking with different theories. The findings indicate that school teachers perceived curriculum as a guiding document for teaching learning process designed by the experts. Teachers‟ pedagogical actions were guided based on their own curricular understanding and they were in transforming phase from traditional to modern approaches of teaching learning system. Despite this, there was gap between the existing learning opportunities provided to students and the changing context. In this context, as teachers are the pillars to deliver the curriculum, they should be given some responsibilities for developing curriculum so that they can internalize and implement it effectively.