Educational - Ozean Publications

European Journal of Educational Studies 2(2), 2010inquiry, group discussions, games, and field trips. The majority of geography teachers engaged in lectures. Itwas evident in this study that geographic education in Oman lacked learning experiences pertinent to the livesof students and their community.In a more recent study, AlMaamari (2009) examined the perceptions of social studies student teachers (n =257) and their tutors (n = 32) about citizenship education in seven colleges of education in Oman. Participantsviewed citizenship education as a means to build national pride and unity, which are necessary to maintain theprogress of Oman. Among the perceived highest-ranked goals of citizenship education were to providestudents with knowledge about their country and its political, economic, and cultural systems; appreciateOmani heritage and culture; understand rights and responsibilities; develop positive attitudes toward work,production, saving, and consumption; develop patriotic and loyal citizens; develop moral behavior; anddevelop critical thinking and problem solving skills. The content was perceived to focus mainly on nationalhistory and geography, government structure, traditions and customs, and values that promote loyalty, respect,and love of the country.In the preceding literature, the author attempted to identify major perspectives that can be used to guide thedevelopment of social studies goals and content areas. Based on this analysis, there is an importantimplication for social studies in Oman. Social studies curricula should include a broad range of goals andcontent areas that focus on national heritage of Omani society, knowledge and skills from history and socialscience disciplines, reflective thinking skills, students’ interests and needs, global interdependence, culturaldiversity, community participation, and other useful experiences.CONTEXT OF THE STUDYThe Sultanate of Oman is one of the Middle Eastern countries. It is situated in the Southeastern corner of theArabian Peninsula, with a land area of approximately 309, 500 km 2 (119,498 mi 2 ) and a coastline extendingover 3,165 km (1,967 mi). It is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the east, the United Arab Emirates and SaudiArabia to the west, Strait of Hormuz to the north, and Yemen to the south. The 2003 censes indicated that thepopulation of Oman was 2,340,815 (Ministry of National Economy, 2003). Over the past four decades, oilrevenues have been a vital part of the country’s economy. This has influenced rapid social, economic, andtechnological changes in Omani society. For example, the number of students and schools has increaseddramatically from 909 students in only three schools prior to 1970 to 553,236 students in 1,052 public schools(Ministry of Education, 2006, 2008). To provide education that meets the changing needs of Omani society,the Ministry of Education places considerable emphasis on teaching mathematics, science, English language,and information technology in early grades.Like many countries, Oman has involved in several school reforms. Education has undergone significantchanges since the implementation of the Basic Education Reform in 1998. Some key changes includeequipping all schools with advanced learning resource centers, increasing the school year, introducing newsubject areas into school plans, and improving school curricula. The current educational system is divided intotwo stages: basic education (grades 1-10) and post-basic education (grades 11-12). Within the basic-educationstage, there are two sub cycles. The first cycle consists of grades 1-4, and the second cycle consists of grades5-10. Each cycle is designed to meet students’ basic needs in terms of knowledge, skills, and values (Ministryof Education, 2001). The Ministry of Education supervises public schools and maintains a centralized anduniformed educational system around the country. It provides free education for all students enrolled in publicschools.177