Teachers’ Perceptions and Challenges of Implementing Updated Curriculum Reform in a Secondary School in Central Kazakhstan

Abstract

Kazakhstani secondary education has undergone many changes in recent years. The results of Kazakhstani students in international exams showed that the old traditional teaching methods are no longer suitable for the realities of the 21st century. Therefore, an updated curriculum reform was introduced in 2016 to improve the quality of education in the country and increase the competitiveness of school graduates in the international arena. The introduction of the updated curriculum reform has brought with it many innovations and changes. These were new for teachers and could lead them to stress and overload. The purpose of this study is to explore teachers’ perceptions and challenges on implementing updated curriculum reform in a secondary school in Kazakhstan.

This qualitative research used semi-structured interviews to collect data from eight participants. The study reveals the perceptions of teachers about the updated curriculum reform and challenges they faced during its introduction. Participants were recruited using maximum variation sampling within a convenience selected site. The collected data were analyzed using open coding. The findings show that all teachers have positive attitudes towards the reform. The only thing that does not suit teachers and is challenging for them is the criteria-based assessment. It was also found that the transition process to the reform was quick and very difficult for teachers during the first year.