Theme: observation for developmental purposes and classroom research contents: introduction

Pre-Intervention: Data Collection and Needs Analysis

During the first stage, three interviews with observers and twelve interviews with teaching staff were conducted. These interviews were transcribed and then analyzed thematically using Nvivo 11 software. The data analyzed in this first stage were categorized in two main parts: perceptions about the classroom observation and elements of its implementation. The data collected in the first stage from semi-structured interviews revealed that the classroom observation process recommended in college policy was not followed (e.g., there was no preobservation conference). The results also indicated that there were concerns about the quality of the observations in the English Language Center.
Comparing and contrasting the existing perceptions and implementation with the established international practices from research literature provided a useful needs analysis regarding the classroom observation conducted in this context. This comparison was used to develop an intervention in the form of a training program for the observers.
Intervention
The second stage consisted of the intervention. After identifying the needs of the participants, a training program was designed to bridge the gap between international best practices and the existing situation at the English Language Center (ELC). As a result, the training program aimed to enhance the effectiveness of implementing the classroom observation process in the English Language Centre.
The researcher designed the intervention using some of the training program materials that were applied to train the Senior English Language Teachers in the Ministry of Education in Oman. Some extra materials have been added and some modified to suit the training objectives and the participants' needs.
The training was carried out in the ELC as the workplace seemed to be the most convenient place to have such an activity. The sessions were held from February 20 to March 15 2019. The intervention was divided into two main parts; theory and practice. The theoretical part included 5 sessions for a total of 20 hours. For the practical part, three sessions were conducted for a total of 7.5 hours. The practical part was designed for practicing conducting the preobservation as well as post-observation stages.
The intervention was conducted by one of the researchers who was experienced in providing training programs for teachers during his career with the Ministry of Education. He was also a participant in an intensive training program for trainers to conduct similar observation training programs. For the trainees, the three administrators were trained from the English Language Center. Head of the center and heads of sections. All three administrators attended and actively participated in this training program.
Post-intervention: Data Collection and Measuring Changes
In the third and final stage of the research, the interviews conducted before the intervention were repeated with teachers and observers. The teachers were purposively selected among those who were observed after the training program for the observers. This allowed the researchers to compare the themes and responses before and after the intervention and identify any changes that occurred.
Findings
The aim of this study was to improve the effectiveness of the classroom observation process in context. Thus, an appropriate intervention was designed based on the needs identified in the first stage of the study. The intervention was followed up by interviews to identify what changes occurred both in the perceptions and the implementation of observations.
After analyzing the results of the semi-structured interviews of this study, the results indicated the emergence of two main themes: perceptions and implementation. Regarding perceptions, four main themes emerged from them: the perceived effectiveness of classroom observation, anxiety during and after observation, the role of teachers and the role of observers. On the other hand, the implementation theme included three subthemes, namely, pre-observation, whileobservation, and post-observation.
The perception themes
The results before the intervention indicated that the observers considered the classroom observation process as part of their routine tasks. The main purpose of conducting it is to evaluate the performance of teachers, to ensure that they carry out instructions and to correct their mistakes. As for the teachers, the classroom observation was only a process of assessing and judging their performance. Also, the teachers' answers indicated that they believe that the observers lack the competence and skills necessary to perform the classroom observation professionally.