Teachers’ views of the effectiveness of united arab emirates kindergarten curriculum, instructional strategies, and assessment procedures

The present study aimed at investigating kindergarten teachers’ views ofthe curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Data were collected by an open-endedquestionnaire, interviews, and observations. Forty-four kindergarten teachersin the United Arab Emirates responded to the questionnaire; six teachers werelater interviewed. Results revealed that some teachers believe that the officialcurriculum is not developmentally appropriate, as it focuses more on academicsrather than on child development in social, physical, emotional, and intellectualaspects. Results also revealed that the vision of developmentally appropriatepractices among these kindergarten teachers has not been well-acknowledged andthat their instructional and assessment practices emphasize teaching academicskills, using a direct instructional approach.