How teachers design and implement instructional materials to improve classroom practice

Abstract

Purpose: To explore teachers’ opinions about the design and deployment of teaching materials in class, with specific focus on the implications for professional development of self-produced resources. Design/methodology: A mixed methods research design involving the administration of a questionnaire to a sample of 864 teachers and the implementation of two case studies of nursery teachers using interviews, observations, journals and recordings. Findings: The results confirm that textbooks are widely used in Schools for Nursery & Primary Education throughout Andalusia, where they exert a significant influence on classroom practices, even where teachers seek to complement them with more innovative material. Nevertheless, teacher-made material is highly valued by practitioners not only for promoting meaningful learning but also for its role in enhancing professional development, notwithstanding the obstacles and difficulties it frequently implies. Practical implications: The results endorse the need to provide support for teaching staff committed to the developing their own materials. Social implications: The region-wide policy of free textbooks for all schools should be reviewed in the light of the findings of the research. Originality/value: The research highlights a paradox at the heart of our educational system regarding the use of instructional materials: while the textbook represents the material of choice for the majority of teachers, these same teachers do not consider it the most appropriate for driving improvement in the teaching/learning process.