Marife Turkish Journal of Religious Studies

Abstract

Education programs were developed in line with objectives such as building a strong education system at international standards, raising the qualified manpower needed by the society, and ensuring the protection and development of material and moral values. In this period, when changes in science and technology have been experienced intensively, educational institutions have made necessary changes in the education programs and made changes in the curriculum in line with the needs. In this context, the development and evaluation of programs is of great importance in increasing the quality of education. This research aims to examine the curriculum of Arabic courses at Imam Hatip Secondary Schools (IHO) in the light of the opinions and experiences of Arabic teachers according to Stufflebeam's CIPP (Context, Input, Process and Product) program evaluation model. In the research conducted with the case study design of the qualitative research methods, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of 20 Arabic teachers working in Imam-Hatip Secondary Schools in Trabzon in the 2021-2022 academic year and being selected through purposeful sampling. The data obtained through the semi-structured interview form developed by Dinçer (2013) and adapted to the Arabic lesson were analyzed by content analysis. In the analysis of the data, themes were created using content analysis, and direct quotations from the teachers' views were frequently made in the findings. As a result of the data analysis using Stufflebeam's CIPP program evaluation model, a total of 4 themes, including context, input, process and product evaluation dimensions, and 12 categories were determined depending on them. In the findings, it was determined that most of the teachers did not examine the curriculum in terms of context evaluation, and they mostly benefited from textbooks and annual plans in this regard. The participants mostly stated that they had a positive opinion on the aims of the program, the program was student-centered and prepared in accordance with the spiral structure, and it aimed to develop listening and speaking skills by prioritizing the active use of language instead of grammar. About the weaknesses of the program, the participants stated that there was inconsistency between the theory and practice and the program is not applicable in every school, the content was intense, the themes do not fully support each other, and the speaking activities were insufficient. In the input evaluation dimension, it was determined that most of the teachers did not participate in the in-service training for the curriculum or the training was insufficient in terms of duration and content. In addition, it was concluded from the teachers' opinions that the readiness level of the students was low and they showed a reluctant attitude towards the lesson, and that the content of the textbooks, EBA platform and the website of the General Directorate of Religious Education were partially sufficient. In the process evaluation dimension, it was revealed that the teachers mainly used teacher-centered techniques, the weekly lesson hours were insufficient for the full implementation of the program and the absence of Arabic in the central exams reduced the motivation of the students, and that there was not enough technological infrastructure in some schools in terms of the problems encountered in the implementation of the Arabic teaching program. In general, the teachers stated that the program was a repetition with its themes, content, and language structure. In the product evaluation dimension of the research, it was concluded that the most frequently used grading tool by teachers in terms of evaluating knowledge and skills was written exams and students' attendance grades. It was determined that four basic language skills coludn’t be evaluated equally in the exams, speaking and listening skills were not adequately measured, and alternative measurement tools recommended in the program were not used, and teachers made more result-oriented evaluations in terms of measurement and evaluation process. Regarding the non-applicable dimensions of the program, the teachers stated that the students showed improvement in terms of grammar, but they told that the desired level of progress could not be achieved in speaking, listening, and writing (construction) skills and that not every student got the same improvement. In addition, it was determined that the teachers could not adhere to the main philosophy of the program based on the communicative approach. It is expected that the results of the research will contribute to the development and effective implementation of the Arabic curriculum.