Date of Award

1-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Education (Curriculum and Instruction)

Department

Curriculum & Instruction

First Advisor

Dr. Nagmeldin O. Alsheikh

Second Advisor

Dr,. Mohammed S Shaban

Third Advisor

Dr. Abdurrahman G . AlMekalafi

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges the UAE University (UAEU) English pre-service teachers faced during their field experience within a major curricular reform. The study focused on five UAEU English pre-service teachers enrolled in a practicum course during their field experience and their five cooperative teachers. A semi-structured interview, a questionnaire and an observation checklist were employed to explore the field experience challenges that the UAEU English pre-service teachers encountered. The use of multiple resources helped to create a general profile and in turn helped to improve the trustworthiness of the research findings. The implication derived from this study indicated that the UAEU English pre-service teachers viewed themselves as unprepared to meet the curriculum reform requirements.

The findings revealed that although the UAEU English pre-service teachers were well prepared to teach English Language, the discrepancy between their university coursework and their field experience was apparent. Finally, the study findings revealed that most of the UAEU English pre-service teachers’ challenges were centered around knowledge of subject matter of mathematics and science and knowledge of curricular.

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