الصّعوبات التي تواجه مدرّسي مادّة الاقتصاد في الصّف الثّالث الثّانوي في محافظة جبل لبنان وكيفيّة معالجتها
The purpose of this research is to study in general how economics is being taught in the Lebanese public schools in Mount Lebanon and to examine the administrative, academic, and environmental challenges that teachers confront. This study also provides suggestions as to how these challenges could be reduced. The research data sources employed in this study include a questionnaire addressed to fifty teachers of economics in twenty-six public schools out of seventy-four schools in Mount Lebanon Governorate. Moreover, classroom observation logs and interviews with two educational guides in the subject of economics were part of the research data sources. The analysis of the data collected showed that the problems that the teachers identified resulted from lack of professional development and teacher training in the content area, instructional methods, and in the analysis and evaluation of the economics textbooks. In addition, the analysis of the study also revealed that some teachers faced problems in classroom management and others had conflicts with the school leadership and administration. The study also showed some discrepancy between classroom observation and the participants’ responses to the questionnaire despite the fact that the analysis of classroom observation also corroborated with some responses. The researcher gave several conclusions: there is lack of teacher training in the area of competence, regarding content, assessment, and evaluation, in addition to the teaching methodologies. The adoption and implementation of a written curriculum in economics in the third secondary classes does not take into account the local needs of the learners and the society’s geography, economics, and convictions. The selection of the content and its sequence in the official grade 12 textbook is based on objectivity; however, there is a surplus of information and an excess in the use of terminologies. The findings of the study showed that the lessons’ objectives are not identified at the beginning and there is absence of exercises and activities at the end of the lessons. What is also critical is that there is no coordination among the official agencies that belong to the Ministry of Education, such as between the Educational Center of Research and Development and the Guidance Agencies of Education. (Author’s abstract)