Teachers’ understanding of the CEFR-aligned English language curriculum implementation through the cascade training

In 2016, the CEFR-aligned English language curriculum for secondary schools in Malaysia was introduced, and it will complete its first cycle in 2025. The implementation of the curriculum has revealed significant disparities in teacher understanding, cascade training effectiveness, and curriculum implementation. Being qualitative in nature, this study employs narrative inquiry to explore the understanding and implementation of the curriculum among eight English language teachers who are also the heads of the English language panels in their respective schools. The study explores the extent of English teachers’ understanding of the English language curriculum, the effectiveness of the cascade training and the implementation of the lessons post-cascade training. The study further provides recommendations for the improvement of training and classroom practices. The data on teachers’ understanding, interpretation and the delivery of the curriculum was obtained through the articulation of their experiences via open-ended interviews, guided reflections, and document analysis which were then analysed thematically. The findings of the study revealed a varied spectrum of understanding among teachers. While some teachers were able to integrate the principles of CEFR-aligned English language curriculum in their lesson planning, activity design, and English lesson implementation. The findings also indicate that there are teachers who have yet to understand the implementation of this curriculum. The mixed results of this study, which reflect both successes and challenges, may be closely linked to the effectiveness of the cascade training attended by the teachers. This study also found that teacher-centred teaching practices and exam-oriented instruction are still present in the implementation of the curriculum, although their application remains limited. This study has provided several recommendations for conducting teacher training and implementing curriculum guidelines more effectively, in line with the English language curriculum based on constructive theory and the action-oriented approach.