Kholode Al-obaidli

Educational Reform in Qatar: Women Esl Teachers' Perceptions About Roles and Professional Development Needs Kholode Al-obaidli

The focus of this study is women ESL teachers in Qatar's public school educational refrom, Education for a New Era which created 36 publicly funded Independent Schools with a standards-based curriculum using English as a Second Language as the medium of instruction in mathematics and science. The research investigated the perceptions of women ESL teachers regarding Qatar's reforms and their experiences using new approaches to teaching ESL. Professional development needs were also identified. A mixed method approach was used. A questionnaire was distributed to 233 women ESL teachers and 18 semi-structured interviews conducted. Generally, teachers valued increased freedom, but expressed a lack of support, and noted increased workloads and conflicts between professional roles and private lives. Change facilitators were seen as supportive. Views about school administrators varied.