Advocating School-University Partnership for Responsive Teacher Education and Classroom-based Curricula: Evidence from Teachers’ Cognitions about Principles of Curriculum Design and Their Own Roles

Oct 15, 2026

Study examines differences between novice and experienced non-native English-speaking EFL teachers’ cognitions about EFL curriculum design principles and their own roles in developing classroom-based curricula. The investigation also explores challenges teachers face and the support system they require. Data from 40 non-native EFL teachers were collected via a questionnaire and open-ended questions. Findings indicate no statistically significant differences between groups regarding curriculum design cognition, while both report limited theoretical knowledge, practical skills, time, and resources, and act as material adapters; they call for ongoing support and partnership for responsive teacher education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Review of the Literature

Theoretical Background

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 41 | Issue 12 | Article 6 | | --- | --- | 2016 Advocating School-University Partnership for Responsive Teacher Education and Classroombased Curricula: Evidence from Teachers’Cognitions about Principles of Curriculum Design and Their Own Roles Muhammad Rahimi University of Auckland, New Zealand Lawrence Jun Zhang University of Auckland, New Zealand, [lj.zhang@auckland.ac.nz](lj.zhang@auckland.ac.nz) Nasim Nasr Esfahani Sepahan Institute of Higher Education, Iran Recommended Citation Rahimi, M., Zhang, L., & Esfahani, N. (2016). Advocating School-University Partnership for Responsive Teacher Education and Classroom-based Curricula: Evidence from Teachers’ Cognitions about Principles of Curriculum Design and Their Own Roles. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 41 (12). [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2016v41n12.6](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2016v41n12.6) This Journal Article is posted at Research Online. [http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol41/iss12/6](http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol41/iss12/6) Australian Journal of Teacher Education Advocating School-University Partnership for Responsive Teacher Education and Classroom-based Curricula: Evidence from Teachers’ Cognitions about Principles of Curriculum Design and Their Own Roles Muhammad Rahimi Lawrence Jun Zhang* University of Auckland, New Zealand Nasim Nasr Esfahani Sepahan Institute of Higher Education, Isfahan, Iran Abstract: This study investigated the differences between novice and experienced non-native English-speaking English-as-a-foreign language (EFL) teachers’ cognitions about EFL curriculum design principles and their own roles in designing an EFL curriculum. The challenge these teachers faced in their roles and the support system they needed were also explored. Data were collected from 40 non natives English-speaking EFL teachers using a questionnaire and open-ended questions. The results show that the observed differences between the two groups ’ cognitions about EFL curriculum design principles were not statistically significant. Results also reveal that both groups believed they lacked the required theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and time and financial resources to develop the classroom-based EFL curriculum and assumed the role of material adapters for themselves. Teachers asserted that they tried to accommodate their students’ needs, interests, and other contextual factors through teaching strategies. They expressed aspirations for ongoing support from local scholars and experienced teachers to update their theoretical knowledge and to meet the challenges arising from their teaching contexts. Implied in the teachers’ responses was their need for developing a classroom-based EFL curriculum. In light of the findings, we recommend initiating school-university partnership for developing responsive teacher education programmes for pre service as well as in-service teacher education. Keywords: Teachers Cognition, EFL Curriculum Design, School-university Partnership Introduction Teachers typically adopt either a curriculum fidelity, an adaptation, or an enactment approach (Shawer, 2010). The first category of teachers embraces a fidelity approach to the curriculum by solely transmitting the content and following the materials lesson-by-lesson or page-by-page. The second category of teachers pursues an adaptation approach by making Vol 41, 12, December 2016 83 Australian Journal of Teacher Education adjustments to the curriculum, for instance, through skipping tasks, changing the sequence, or adding new activities and tasks to the prescribed curriculum. The third group of teachers adoptsan enactment approach (classroom-based curriculum) by undertaking needs analysis, content and materials development, sequencing, formatting, and assessment by taking into account the particularities of their classroom and learners

FAQs

What does the study investigate about EFL teachers?

It examines how novice and experienced non-native English-speaking EFL teachers think about curriculum design principles and their own roles in designing an EFL curriculum.

How were the data collected?

Data were collected from 40 non-native English-speaking EFL teachers using a questionnaire and open-ended questions.

What do the results say about differences between teacher groups?

The observed differences between novice and experienced teachers’ cognitions about EFL curriculum design principles were not statistically significant, and both groups reported lacking key knowledge, skills, and resources.

Oct 15, 2026

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