Needs assessment and the critical implications of a rigid textbook/ syllabus for in-service education and training for primary english teachers in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

This article explores the application of a needs assessment model for in-service education and training (INSET), developed and used effectively in a Namibian context, to an INSET programme for primary English teachers in the United Arab Emirates. The model is drawn from Roth's (1978, cited in Witkin, 1984) model: X –Y = N, where X is the actual state, Y is the target state, and N is the gap between them (need). The model was found to be effective in the Emirati context. There were, however, some differences between the use of the model in the Emirati and Namibian contexts, particularly in the effectiveness of the strategies used to collect data concerning the actual state. Efforts to apply the model highlighted a number of issues: the limitations of the syllabus/textbook; the extent to which curriculum centralisation and the use of a rigid syllabus/textbook affect teaching practices; and their implications for in-service programmes.