Assessing Teachers’ Perceptions of Relevant ELT Policies in Cameroon

Abstract

Current thinking in ELT holds teachers’ agency in policy design and implementation crucial in creating appropriate learning environments. Unfortunately, the literature in this domain largely demonstrates the exclusion of teachers in ELT policy design across different contexts. Moreover, very limited evidence exists, as to how teachers’ agency in policy design can lead to improved classroom practices. This chapter assesses teachers’ perception of what would potentially count as relevant ELT policy in the Cameroonian context. It examines 113 ELT practitioners’ opinions of what they would consider relevant policies to enable them to teach effectively if they were placed in policy positions. Their opinions were sampled through WhatsApp and face-to-face interaction. Responses were coded thematically and findings largely reveal insensitivity to local constraints and misunderstandings of the relationship between policy provisions and teachers’ responsibilities in the classroom. None of the characterisations of ‘teaching English in difficult circumstances’ were identified by the teachers sampled as any matter of primary concern in policy innovation. In keeping with this, this chapter interrogates teachers’ ability in making context-specific recommendations for relevant ELT policies in their work contexts and opens possibilities for further discussion on when teachers can provide meaningful contributions to policy recommendations in the process of policy innovation.