EXPLORATION OF TEACHERS’ PRACTICES OF TEACHING WITH/OUT TEXTBOOKS IN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS IN DHADING

Abstract

This study examines the current context of teachers' perception of the use of textbooks and the challenges that teachers face due to the unavailability of textbooks in classroom practices. It primarily reflects the voices of participants along with my own experiences. It incorporates related literature, classroom observation, and formal and informal conversations with the participants. The study has centered on three major questions: teacher perception of textbooks in classroom instruction, coping strategies in the unavailability of textbooks, and a comparison of the scenario back in 2015 and 2021. With these questions, I tried to find out the teachers’ perception of textbooks and the use of alternative materials in classroom practice. In order to accomplish the study, I used the interpretive inquiry method that involved interviews and classroom observations with six participant teachers in Dhading district. By analyzing the data obtained from the interview, classroom observation, and field notes, I developed three major themes: teacher perception of textbooks, challenges and coping strategies during unavailability of textbooks, and comparative scenario analysis between 2015 and 2021 regarding teacher perceptions and practices of using textbooks in classroom instructions. Through the interpretation and discussion of the data, the study concluded that teacher perception of textbook use was different from each other. It was found that the teachers who have participated in the training, workshops, and conferences have understood more about the modern techniques of classroom instruction, and they have performed the instructional practice well even in the absence of a textbook. Those who have not got the opportunity to participate in teacher development programs were poor in the use of alternative materials rather than textbooks. The study exposed that there was inconsistency between what they had expressed in the interview and what they were practising in the classroom. The study implies that teachers need to develop the basic norms of the teaching profession and gradually initiate and develop the habit of using alternative materials to deal with the challenges that arise due to the lack of textbooks. To handle these situations, schools have to arrange teacher development programmes such as curriculum dissemination programmes, training, workshop, and related conferences to update teachers with new ideas and skills.