How English Teachers Adapt Teaching Materials: Incremental Decision Making Style in Planning, Implementation and Evaluatio

This thesis studies English teachers' decision making on adapting teaching materials in a primary school. As teachers need to cater for the learner differences by adapting the teaching materials, teacher decision making on teaching materials adaptations becomes important. This research focuses on how primary school teachers make decisions on adapting English teaching materials and how they adapt English teaching materials in schools. This research can serve as a reference in preparing teachers to make curriculum decision.;The main purpose of this research is to provide a descriptive and analytical study of teachers' decision making on English teaching materials adaptations. This paper begins descripting a review of the curriculum and English teaching materials in the Hong Kong primary school. Then it is followed by an analyses of the curriculum decision making process -- Incremental Decision Making Model at different levels (teacher, school and society) and the critical elements of decision making. Finally, relationships between different levels and the elements for teacher professional development in the future will be discussed.;A primary school was chosen as a case for investigating the teachers' decision making on teaching materials adaptations. Aiming at achieving the main purpose, three main research questions are developed: 1. What are the characteristics of decision making on adapting English teaching materials at teacher level? 1.1 At the planning stage, what are the features of the teacher decision making? 1.2 At the implementation stage, what are the features of the teacher decision making? 1.3 At the evaluation stage, what are the features of the teacher decision making? 2. How are the teachers' decisions different at the three critical decision making stages? 3. What accounts for the differences in teachers' decisions at the three critical decision making stages?;The research adapted documentary analysis and interviews as data collection methods. The documents analyzed and the teachers being interviewed were directly related to the process of decision making of the teaching materials adaptations. The data revealed some general characteristics at different stages at teaches' level. The teachers put emphasis on the planning stage and implementation stage. They developed a decision making habit (informal chat -- collaboration -- informal chat) at school. However, Primary One teachers had a more successful collaboration with work and friendship overlapped decision making style. They liked to have the collaborative lesson planning meeting more; while Primary Five teachers had friendship and instructional based collaboration and enjoyed having individual lesson planning. Six elements that affected teachers' decision makings on teaching materials adaptations at different levels were identified. The six elements include communication, time, student ability, teaching materials, teaching beliefs and teacher professionalism. To conclude, this study provides an empirical research that is rare for the teacher decision making on teaching materials adaptations.