An assessment of the alignment of the Puerto Rico's English Curriculum Framework and classroom teaching practices at the high school level in the Metropolitan area

This investigation examines the Constructivist learning theory as proposed by the Puerto Rico's Department of Education English Curriculum Framework and investigates if this learning theory is aligned with current ESL teaching practices. The study was conducted at an educational school region in the Metropolitan area. Teachers who volunteered to participate in the taught English in grades 10th-12th. The investigator expected to recruit at least 26 teachers to participate in the investigation. The following research questions were investigated: 1. How in sync is the Puerto Rico Department of Education's English curriculum with constructivist teaching practices? 2. To what degree do ESL teachers support and implement a Constructivist approach to ESL teaching? 3. What teaching methods do teachers use on a daily basis? 4. To what degree do teachers implement a constructivist approach to ESL assessment? 5. What factors might influence the implementation of a constructivist learning theory?;The investigator used two data collection tools to collect the data. Teachers who voluntarily participated in the study completed a questionnaire and scheduled a classroom demonstration. A pilot study was conducted at a different school setting by the principal investigator to determine the validity of the data collection instruments. Means and standard deviations were calculated. In addition, a correlation matrix was developed and analyzed to determine the relationship among the variables. A classroom observation checklist was used by the investigator to examine constructivist teaching practices that are evident in the English classrooms. The investigator will share the findings with all the stakeholders including teachers and school region administrators. The findings will benefit the school community at large because it will provide information that can assist teachers in making curriculum and program implementation decisions. The findings will also help teachers to reflect on their teaching practices and facilitate English departmental discussions when planning and preparing for instruction.