Abstract

This study investigated the degree to which teacher developed curriculum was aligned with the national standards in Qatar. Three sources of data included teacher response to a questionnaire, teacher interviews and expert rating of the alignment of teacher-developed materials with curriculum standards. A survey and interview questions measured teacher roles and methods in developing the curriculum. Expert ratings measured the degree of alignment of objectives, activities, lesson elements and assessment with the standards. Results indicated that the objectives of units and lessons in each of the four subject areas Arabic, English, mathematics and science, closely aligned with tasks and artifacts. These elements of instruction also showed satisfactory alignment in terms of content, scope, developmental level, and cognitive level with the standards. Assessments, however, showed a serious lack of alignment with the standards in terms of scope and developmental level, especially in the cognitive level alignments in each of the four subject areas. Teachers also reported that developing curriculum, in addition to other school related activities, has generally overloaded teachers. This study has significance in terms of professional development needs and policy decisions in Qatar and similar contexts, especially those engaged in education reform.

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