Teacher autonomy in postmethod Arabic language teaching: A conceptual analysis of curriculum negotiation and local contexts
Abstract
Purpose – This study analyzes the construction of teacher autonomy in Arabic language learning based on post-method pedagogy, the process of negotiating curriculum demands with student needs, and the integration of local social, cultural, institutional, and linguistic contexts into pedagogical decision-making. This study is motivated by the limitations of the method-based approach, which tends to position teachers as implementers of learning procedures and provides little room for professional consideration.
Method – The study employed a Systematic Literature Review, adhering to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A search of several academic databases yielded 312 records. After removing duplicates, screening titles and abstracts, and assessing full-text eligibility, 42 studies were included in the final synthesis. Data were extracted using a structured matrix and analyzed through open coding, categorical grouping, cross-source comparison, and thematic synthesis. These procedures yielded themes directly aligned with the three research questions.
Findings – The synthesis shows that teacher autonomy is a relational and situated form of professional agency, enacted through reflective, contextual, creative, and responsible decision-making. Curriculum negotiation operationalizes autonomy by interpreting learning outcomes, diagnosing needs, adapting materials and strategies, and aligning assessment. Local social, cultural, institutional, and linguistic contexts provide situated knowledge for pedagogical decisions.
Implication – Theoretically, the study extends postmethod pedagogy by integrating teacher autonomy, curriculum negotiation, and contextual responsiveness into a unified framework in which teachers mediate curricular expectations, learner needs, institutional conditions, and local realities. Practically, it highlights the need for curricular flexibility, collaborative planning, reflective professional development, diagnostic assessment, and documentation of pedagogical adaptations. In Arabic language teaching, these conditions support contextualized materials, local cultural integration, strategic use of learners’ linguistic resources, and communicative assessment
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