A descriptive study of the secondary English programs in the Near East South Asia region of overseas schools

Designed to educate children of American citizens abroad, American overseas schools are located In countries throughout the world. This study examined the secondary English programs In the Near East South Asia region of overseas schools for the 1986-87 academic year. Until this study there had been no other descriptions of secondary English programs In this or any other region of overseas schools.

Data were obtained by a mailed questionnaire with 65 Items related to the secondary curricula, the English programs, and the professional concerns of secondary English teachers. The data were analyzed for frequencies, percentages, ranges, and means. Based upon patterns and generalizations derived from the analysis, several recommendations were made both for the Improvement of the NE/SA secondary English programs and for future research.

Major similarities In the ways the schools were organized consisted of the kinds of students enrolled and the kinds of curricula followed. Major differences Involved the numbers of students enrolled In the schools and the nature and amounts of resources available to the English programs.

The English programs held many similarities in the qualifications of English teachers, the availability and use of instructional materials, and the kinds of perceived strengths of the programs. Major differences were in the workloads of English teachers and the availability and use of resources such as microcomputers, libraries, and materials from local cultures.

The major similarities among the schools, with respect to the professional lives of their English teachers, consisted of opportunities for professional development, recruiting methods for foreign-hired English teachers, extensions of contracts, and frequency of English department meetings. Major differences consisted of the designation of department heads, membership with professional organizations, and different kinds and purposes of supervision.