EMIRATI SCIENCE TEACHERS’ BELIEFS, SELF-CONFIDENCE, CHALLENGES FACED, AND THEIR REPORTED PRACTICE

Abstract

Amidst an ambitious education reform agenda, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, has pledged that 90% of the education sector be Emirati by 2030. The reforms aims to move away from traditional style teaching and learning and towards a student-centred, hands-on, inquiry approach, a vastly different approach to the one which current Emirati teachers experienced themselves as students. This study investigates the beliefs about how students best learn science and the actual teaching practice of nine Emirati teachers in Abu Dhabi’s elementary public schools. Items pertaining to teachers’ self-confidence, and the barriers and challenges they face in teaching science were also analysed to further explain any correlations, or lack thereof, between beliefs and practice. The findings suggest that while a lack of confidence and other barriers and challenges do impede on ideal teaching practice, many teachers self-report attempting to teach according to their beliefs nonetheless.

Key Words: Emirati Science Teachers’ Beliefs, Self-Confidence

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