Analysis of Teacher Resistance to Educational Change in the UAE

This report examines the factors contributing to teacher resistance to educational changes in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), focusing on government schools in the Al-Ain region. The study highlights four key factors: personal factors, school culture, and organizational factors. The research indicates that teachers, while generally supportive of change, often resist due to concerns about curriculum implementation, the use of English as the medium of instruction, and a lack of involvement in the planning process. The report discusses the impact of frequent changes, the need for teacher training, and the importance of effective communication between teachers, principals, and the ADEC. The findings emphasize the need for gradual implementation, achievable goals, and a supportive environment to reduce resistance and improve the success of educational reforms. The report suggests involving teachers in the planning process, providing adequate training, and establishing a rewarding system to encourage change and align the curriculum with the UAE's cultural and social ideologies. The report concludes with recommendations for policymakers and educators to address teacher concerns and improve the implementation of educational changes.

Running head: EDUCATION DEGREE-CURRICULUM DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
EDUCATION DEGREE-CURRICULUM DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Article Summary
The article investigated the four factors that may be the reason for the resistance that
is portrayed by the teachers towards the educational change in the UAE. These four factors
include the personal factors, those related to the school culture, personal factors and the
organizational factors. The United Arab Emirates educational systems have been undergoing
tremendous changes with respect to the rhetoric of decentralization. The change in the system
had taken birth after the education ministry had delegated the Abu Dhabi Education Council
or the ADEC with the responsibility of education in the region of Abu Dhabi. The article
suggests that the teachers involved in the study were supportive of the change and felt that the
principals of and the other agents who advocated the change. The teachers needed to be
psychologically prepared to be exposed to the proposed change as they were apprehensive of
the outcomes that may follow the implementation of the change. The frequent
implementations of various changes had already exhausted the teachers. The study had also
pointed out that the implementation of the English language as a medium of instruction had
led the teachers to face a huge amount of difficulties in helping the slow-learners to grasp the
studies that were brought forward by the recently imposed curriculum.
The efforts of the changes that are made by the ADEC face many obstacles that rise
from the end of the administrators, teachers, parents or guardians and the students. The most
important of these obstacles is the one that arises from the end of the teacher. The teacher, in
most of the cases, resists a change based on the administration and the initiation of the
change. In case of the changes that were implemented on the curriculum, the teachers adapted
to those parts of the change that they found themselves acquainted with. Observations
revealed that they were distressed due to the parts of the curriculum on which they needed to
devote extra amount of effort. The same observation was recorded for the changes that were
implemented on the methods of teaching. A group of teachers believed that the traditional
teaching methods were advantageous over the ones that the Education Council was trying to
implement.
Purpose and Review of previous studies
The purpose of this paper was to examine the factors that were responsible for the
resistance of the teachers towards the change in the patterns of education in the government
schools of Al-Ain region. The study in discussion, as mentioned above, specifically aims to
find out the underlying factors that are responsible for the resistance of the teachers towards

2EDUCATION DEGREE-CURRICULUM DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
the changes in the educational patterns that are currently taking place in the government
schools in the Al-Ain region of the United Arab Emirates (Ibrahim, Al-Kaabi and El-Zaatari
2013). This study had concentrated on the government schools situated in Al-Ain region only
and thus is not capable to be generalized across all the territories that fall under the United
Arab Emirates. The resistance towards the change in the educational pattern has been a
significant problem that does exist within the educational societies all over the world. This
has been one of the main challenges that needs to be overcome in order to successfully
implement the change in the education systems.
Educational change refers to the developments of the skills, knowledge and the
disposition of the teachers, the students and the other administrative officials. These changes
help the present education system to strive in the ever-changing and competitive global
society. Literature has been extensively reviewed in order to aid the identification of the
various factors that have been instrumental in the resistance of the change by the teachers.
The teachers had to transfer from a known realm to an unknown one thereby triggering the
feelings of discomfort and doubts in them. Researchers have also suggested that the teachers
may consider that the reforms might threaten their professional identities. They may also
resist the change if they had not been allowed the proper time span that should have been
allowed in order to get themselves accustomed to the changes. Research portrays that a
teacher may be resisting the change in the educational system due to the disagreement of the
changes with the skills and specialties of the concerned teacher. The values and norms that
are related to the change must be in agreement with the basic values and the culture of the
targeted organization. The resistance to the change may also be avoided by training the
teachers on the different components of the change as well as helping them to stay aware of
the upcoming changes that are about to take place.
Main Findings
The main findings of the authors may be listed as below.
 The teachers were overwhelmed about the changes that were incorporated.
Most of the changes did not pertain to the activity of teaching. The teachers
were also observed to have been worried about the fact that the school hours
would get prolonged. The most important change needed was the change in
the psychology of the teachers. They needed to be psychologically stable in
order to implement the change. The teachers were observed to be highly

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interested in the changes that were to be implemented in the educational
system.
 The teachers who participated in the survey brought to the surface that they
might be facing while implementing the curriculum changes. They put
forward the problem that many of the students were not ready to use the
English language. They also added that the changes that needed to be
implemented need to abide by the norms that are set by the United Arab
Emirates. The teachers have expressed their support towards the need for the
change in the education system that is being currently followed in the United
Arab Emirates.
 The teachers brought to the limelight the fact that the change has been
implemented on them and that they were not a part of the planning procedures
that the implemented changes had to go through. The teachers preferred the
principals who encouraged collaborative nature at work in order to help the
successful implementation of the change in the educational system. There
should be a regular and effective communication between the teachers and the
principal and the concerned authorities in order to guide and support the
teachers in the implementation of the change.
 The teachers opined that the changes that need to be brought about should be
tested at a smaller level before implementing them on the total system. They
argued that the changes must be brought about at a gradual pace and the goals
set should be achievable and realistic. The teachers also complained about the
lack of proper communication between the ADEC, the districts of the schools
and the administration of the schools.
Discussion by the authors
In the article in discussion, the authors discuss the fact that though the teachers want
the change in the education and are willing to be a part of the same, yet they seem to
complain about the ways in which the changes are brought about. Researches have brought to
limelight the fact that the teachers seem to resist the changes whenever they feel that the
change is not necessary for the students. The teachers were also found to be unhappy about
the added responsibilities that they had to face as well as the prolonged working hours. The
teachers felt left out because they were not involved in the process of planning that preceded
the implementation of the plan. It seemed that the changes were imposed on them and they

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lacked the appropriate training that they should have in order to follow the change that have
been set by the authorities. The principal of the institution may be considered to be the agents
who advocate the need of the change in an institution. They play very important roles in the
motivation of the teachers to accept the change in the processes thereby aiding the creation of
a culture in the schools. The appointment of foreign teachers in the schools may also lead to
the resistance of the existing teachers, who may feel that the behavioral and cultural patters
that are followed by the foreign teachers may contradict the conservative cultures followed
by the students. Researches also suggest that the lack of support and guidance during the
change implementation may also lead the teachers to resist the changes.
Conclusions by the author
The authors concluded their study on the note that the changes that were implemented
by the ADEC would face more resistance from the teachers if the changes were not planned
well. The involvement of the teachers would lessen the resistance from the teachers. The
teachers should be provide with proper training that is required in order to implement the
proposed changes. There should exist the prevalence of the willingness to change, the
existence of a culture that fosters learning and a system of rewarding in order to lower the
resistance of the teachers towards the proposed changes of the ADEC. The implemented
changes should be well-directed in order to achieve the desired results in the education
system. The teachers should be involved in the planning of the change. They should be
provided with adequate training in order to help them implement the change. The teachers
need to be favorable to the idea of the change that the UAE government is planning to
implement in the educational system. There should be provisions for a rewarding system that
works in the support of the implemented changes. The frequent changes in the curricula
might aid the creation of the feelings of distrust among the teachers who are employed in the
government schools. The implemented changes in the curricula should not interfere with the
cultural and the social ideologies of the educational institutions.
Comments
The ADEC officials, the superintendents of the schools and the principals must spend
more time for the alleviation of the fears of the teachers regarding the consequences of the
changes that have been undertaken by the government schools in the Al-Ain region. The
+teachers should be well versed with the rationale behind the implementation of the change.
The policy-makers should review the curricula to make it more acceptable to the needs of the

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students. The curricula should also be aligned to the academic requirements of the students as
well as the culture of the United Arab Emirates. There should be involvement of the
employees on an administrative level to judge their reactions on implemented changes in the
educational system. Researchers and investigators should be urged to replicate their study on
the implemented changes in the educational system in the various other schools in the
districts in the country. A deep exploration of the adversities encountered during the
implementation of the change using a qualitative research design is necessary.

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References
Ibrahim, A.S., Al-Kaabi, A. and El-Zaatari, W., 2013. Teacher resistance to educational
change in the United Arab Emirates. International Journal of Research Studies in
Education, 2(3), pp.25-36.