Moroccan educators put research into action to strengthen teaching

Moroccan education experts are demonstrating that research can be a tool for real-time improvements in education reform. That was evident at a conference in Ben Guerir, Morocco, held by USAID’s Higher Education Partnership-Morocco (HEP-M) in November. 

Many of the experts presented their research about the effectiveness of their own work under the HEP-M project – revising and unifying the curricula and materials used to train primary school teachers in Morocco.

In their presentations they examined whether the training materials they revised are effective in preparing teachers to provide children with foundational skills. And the key findings will be put into action – by them and their colleagues – to further improve the training.

“This research is interesting precisely because it comes from reality, from the field, and it will help us try to solve the problems that we have in teaching and training,” said Professor Amale Fattari from the regional teacher-training center in Fez. “Here we’re more interested in action research – research that aims at development, at transformation on a human and practical level.”

Fattari was among more than 300 professionals involved in the training of primary school teachers throughout Morocco who gathered for the Research and Practice Conference in Primary Teacher Preparation, a three-day event at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. It was the second such national gathering under HEP-M, which was launched in 2019 by USAID, the Moroccan Ministry of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, and the Moroccan Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation, and implemented by Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.

Nouzha Elaoudati, a professor at Abdelmalek Essaadi University in Tetouan, volunteered under HEP-M to coordinate the revision of training in educational sciences. Then she surveyed university students to see if their training was meeting their needs. “We found that our future teachers need training in soft skills, English, and visual arts,” Elaoudati said. “There is still a lot of work to be done, which shows the need for this partnership to improve the work of primary teachers.”

Mohammed Abid, a professor at the regional teacher training center in Kenitra, helped revise materials for training teachers in lesson planning and evaluating student performance under HEP-M. Then he and his research team surveyed trainee teachers to see if the new modules helped them master the necessary skills. Abid found a generally positive response but room for improvement. “We intend to analyze these results further to be able to understand the strong points of this system as well as the elements that need to be modified or improved, if necessary,” Abid said.

Promoting research is part of USAID’s strategy for cooperating with Morocco on development, which prioritizes strengthening local stakeholders’ capacity to lead education reform and supporting research that is informative for education policy. That aligns with USAID’s global education policy, which aims to develop partners’ ability to “generate, analyze, and use data and evidence to inform education reforms and investments.”

Building research into the project provides a quality check on the work in progress, said ASU’s Chief of Party for HEP-M, Abdessamad Fatmi. Because the research is undertaken by Moroccan educators, it reflects real conditions in the field, Fatmi said. The research makes them better trainers of teachers – even as it increases their skill as researchers. “The project has instilled a mindset of continuous improvement,” Fatmi said. “Handing on the ownership of this continuous improvement process to the faculty themselves is one of the biggest legacies of this project.”

To strengthen the research projects, ASU provided training and consultation to participants. Online sessions advised participants on how to develop strong proposals for research projects and practical work plans for the research steps. For the conference, 240 participants submitted 149 proposals. About half were accepted, and 71 papers were presented at the conference along with 10 posters.

ASU will continue to provide professional development opportunities to participants focused on education research with an emphasis on disseminating research findings to a wider audience of educational experts. 

As part of his work under the HEP-M project, Mohamed Ali Draoui, professor of Islamic studies at the teacher training center in Nador, helped develop a kit for training primary school teachers containing guides and worksheets. For his research project, he and co-researchers tested the kit and assessed whether it is user-friendly. Draoui said HEP-M and the conference had catalyzed cooperation among educators from different institutions. “The most beautiful thing about the conference was the connection of scientific kinship and building bridges between various educational actors from various educational and training institutions,” Draoui said.

Addressing the conference, USAID/Morocco Mission Director Erik Janowsky encouraged Moroccan educators to continue the exchange after HEP-M concludes in 2024. “Although next year will be the last year of the HEP-M project’s implementation, this is just the beginning,” Janowsky said. “You have started something – something big. And we are relying on you, the experts from universities and regional education and training centers across the country, to continue this important work and share your knowledge and experiences to support Morocco’s future teachers.”