THE BARRIERS THAT HINDER THE USE OF STUDENT-CENTRED LEARNING IN SCHOOLS IN NORTH CYPRUS

Dr. Gulen Onurkan Aliusta
Dr. Bekir Ozer

Eastern Mediterranean University

Abstract

Student-centred learning (SCL), which is considered as the biggest education reform in North Cyprus, was put into practice in schools in 2005 with the aim to improve the quality of education. There have been continuous complaints from teachers with respect to the compability of SCL with the current Cyprus Turkish education system since its adoption in schools. According to teachers, there are serious barriers that hinder the use of SCL in classroom teaching and learning. Unfortunately, there are few empirical studies conducted on the use of SCL, particularly the barriers that hinder its effective use is an under-researched area. Therefore, this study aims to identify the barriers that hinder the use of SCL in high schools based on teachers’ opinions. The study employs the case study method conducted in public high schools. In total, 33 teachers participated in the study and the required data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The results of the study revealed an interrelated web of factors that inhibit the implementation of SCL in classroom practices. “Student profile”, “curriculum”, “teachers” “educational resources”, “parents” and “structure of classrooms” were reported to be the barriers. One striking finding of the study is that the teachers do not believe that they have sufficient training to fully implement SCL in their classrooms.

Keywords

Student-centred learning, Constructivism, High schools, North Cyprus.

FULL TEXT