EXAMINATION OF THE REASONS THAT LEAD TEACHERS TO ABANDON THE CURRICULUM

Abstract

Educators may occasionally neglect certain parts of the curriculum that they consider relatively unimportant. There are instances when inadequate time and pupils' readiness for central examinations are cited as justifications for these occurrences. The aim of this research was to examine the reasons that lead teachers who teach courses that are tested on the Upper- Secondary School Entrance Exam, which is the central exam for 8th graders, to ignore the curriculum according to the opinions of the teachers. The research was designed according to the case study, a type of qualitative research. The study group of the research consists of a total of 15 teachers, 6 of whom work in private schools and 9 of whom work in public schools, in the province of Hatay in the 2021-2022 academic year. A purposive criterion sampling method was used to select the teachers. Research data were collected through a semi-structured interview form and analyzed by content analysis method. It was found that most of the teachers interviewed ignored or abandoned the curriculum because of central exams or external pressures. It was stated that some reasons related to school administrators, parents and students forced teachers to make changes in course teaching methods and processes or forced them to abandon the curriculum. Keywords: Educational curriculum, commitment to the curriculum, curriculum abandonment, central exams, teacher examinations