Evaluation of secondary school 9th grade English curriculum

This study aims to evaluate the 9th grade English curriculum in secondary education based on curriculum components and teachers' perspectives. A mixed-method approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods was employed. The quantitative sample of the study consisted of 250 English teachers working in secondary schools in the city center and districts of Balıkesir. For the qualitative part, interviews were conducted with 12 English teachers selected from those who had completed the Curriculum Evaluation Scale. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection tools were used to address the sub-problems identified in the study. For the quantitative data, the "Curriculum Evaluation Scale" was applied. For qualitative data, a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher was used. The quantitative data obtained through the scale were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 22 software. Frequency, arithmetic mean, and standard deviation were calculated regarding teachers' opinions. In order to analyze whether there were statistically significant differences based on various variables (gender and years of experience), independent samples t-tests and one-way ANOVA tests were applied. The qualitative data obtained from interviews were analyzed using descriptive and content analysis. The findings from the quantitative data showed that teachers generally had positive opinions regarding the goals, content, teaching-learning processes, and assessment-evaluation dimensions of the 9th grade English curriculum. However, some hesitation was observed in certain sub-dimensions. While no significant differences were found based on gender, significant differences were found based on years of experience, particularly in the dimensions of goals, content, and teaching-learning processes. Teachers with less experience expressed more positive views, while those with more experience tended to provide more critical evaluations. In the assessment-evaluation dimension, no significant differences were found in terms of either gender or years of experience. The qualitative findings revealed that the overall structure of the 9th grade English curriculum largely aligns with a progressivist and student-centered approach. However, structural issues encountered in practice such as lack of materials, insufficient class hours, limited access to digital resources, and content misalignment based on school types were identified as major factors limiting the program's effectiveness. Teachers particularly highlighted difficulties in assessing speaking skills and offered suggestions including content updates, enhanced technological support, and increased support for teachers' professional development. The findings indicate that there are occasional inconsistencies between the theoretical framework of the program and its practical implementation in schools. Based on these findings, recommendations include reorganizing class time, simplifying the content, tailoring materials to specific school types, increasing access to digital resources, separately evaluating speaking skills, and expanding supportive practices for teachers' professional development. Keywords: 9th grade English curriculum, teacher opinions, curriculum-based evaluation