Evaluating the Appropriate Educational Practices According to the National Curriculum and their Obstacles from the Early Childhood Female Teachers' Perspective

Abstract

The current study aimed at evaluating the appropriate educational practices in light of the National Curriculum and their obstacles from the early childhood female teachers' perspective. The study used a mixed approach; using two instruments: a questionnaire and an interview (semi-structured). The questionnaire sample consisted of (110) female teachers, and the interview sample consisted of (5) female kindergarten teachers in Dammam and Al Khobar in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire sample was selected using a stratified random method, and the interview sample was selected using a purposive method. The study concluded the following:

- Planning practices obtained a percentage of (84.60%), which is the lowest percentage compared to evaluation practices, which obtained a percentage of (84.80%), and implementation practices, which obtained the highest percentage of (87.00%). This questionnaire result is consistent with the responses of the interview sample, which is the lack of sufficient experience in daily and weekly planning according to the National Curriculum, which makes the teacher rely on a unit carried out by another teacher in another kindergarten; indicating applying the self-curriculum.

- The pivot of obstacles to implementing the National Curriculum obtained a percentage of (77.60%), and the most prominent obstacle to implementing the National Curriculum according to the responses of the questionnaire sample is the lack of a budget that helps the teacher to be creative. This result is consistent with the responses of the interview sample that implementing the National Curriculum is better with the presence of capabilities that may not be provided by all public kindergartens, especially in terms of technology.

- There are statistically significant differences at (0.05) significance level in the first dimension of planning, in the questionnaire evaluating appropriate educational practices according to the National Curriculum and their obstacles from the early childhood female teachers' perspective, according to the different training courses attended, in favor of (those attended two courses).