Effect of BRAC-PACE training on English language teachers of rural non-government secondary schools

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of the BRAC-PACE training programme of English language teachers of rural non-government secondary schools. Introduced in 2001, it aims to enhance capacity of English teachers to help them cope with the demands of the revised curriculum. The study examined the change in the teachers in terms of their pedagogic skills, language skills development, knowledge about communicative language teaching (CLT) and their attitudes towards this new approach. The relevance of the training and the existing challenges were also investigated. The study findings point to a mixed picture. Positive signs are apparent in a general improvement on some particular issues but there are variations across districts and across age, gender, experience, and educational level of the groups. In spite of a general improvement in teachers’ knowledge about CLT and the skills involved in its application in the classroom, there is little evidence of much difference in the existing classroom practices of trained and non-trained teachers. More importantly, students are not being affected very much. Although most teachers perceive the training programme and the materials both relevant and useful for their professional development, they do not believe that CLT can be effectively applied in the classroom settings of the rural schools, thus implying a set of ingrained beliefs which influence teachers’ attitudes and behaviour in classroom. An understanding of cognition, context and the prevalent educational culture needs to be incorporated into the programme. An interaction with trainee-teachers’ perceptions and attitudes is likely to enable them to engage with and make sense of the training process. The issue of re-casting ideas within one’s own frame of reference in order to suit the local culture is emphasised.