International Journal of English Linguistics; Vol. 2, No. 5; 2012 ISSN 1923-869X E-ISSN 1923-8703 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 40 English Language Curriculum Evaluation in Oman Khalid Salim Saif Al-Jardani 1 1 Curriculum Officer for English Language, Ministry of Education, Sultanate of Oman & PhD Student of University of Malaya, Malaysia E-mail: kaljardani@hotmail.com Received: July 6, 2012 Accepted: July 20, 2012 Online Published: August 30, 2012 doi:10.5539/ijel.v2n5p40 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v2n5p40 Abstract This paper starts with highlighting some of the key literature regarding curriculum evaluation in general. It highlights the English Language teaching, schools, teachers and pupils in Oman. It also presents the main issues related curriculum development and process of curriculum evaluation. Keywords: English, English teaching, English curriculum development, English curriculum evaluation, Oman 1. Introduction Education is developing rapidly over time. There is regular reform going on in different places which can include developing teaching styles and methods, curriculum design and better understanding of the learning process. Educationalists intend to develop different aspects of education including curriculum development. Continuous development of the curriculum is taking place in all over the world. In some places, governments have their own curriculum officers and basically develop their own curricula. However, there are other countries that depend on different publishers who intend to write, revise and develop the curriculum over a period of time. In both these cases, a need to evaluate the curriculum is significant in order to update the methodology utilized, the content and other curriculum features (Al-Jardani, 2011). The field of Curriculum Evaluation is still developing and when looking closely at the Curriculum Evaluation books and articles, it shows that the aspects covered in this area if compared to other issues in Education are still not enough (Al-Jardani, 2011). This important aspect of Curriculum Evaluation is vital and needs a lot of work, especially in developing a systematic approach for Curriculum Evaluation in the long-term. A lack of a framework for Curriculum Evaluation in the Ministry of Education in Oman for the public has been observed (Al-Jardani, 2011). This has resulted in a miscommunication between the curriculum departments and the practitioners in the field. Building and publicizing a framework helps to show the role and responsibility of each in developing and evaluating the curriculum. 2. Literature Review In this section, the concept of Curriculum Evaluation will be discussed. It will cover the some aspects of curriculum evaluation. This starts with a definition of curriculum evaluation. Different definitions of Curriculum Evaluation are found in the existing literature about the topic. It can be defined as a systematic process for collecting and analyzing all relevant information for the purpose of judging and assessing the effectiveness of the curriculum to promote improvement (Nichols et al., 2006; Simons, 1987 in Marsh, 2004: 106; Brown, 1989: 223 in Brown, 1995: 218). The definition consists of key words such as systematic, process, collect and analyse, relevant information, curriculum effectiveness’ assessment, and to improve. Curriculum Evaluation can be either a small-scale task involving a very limited number of participants if it is classroom based, or a massive large-scale task involving a number of schools, teachers, parents, officers and some community members. An action research exercise conducted by a teacher in his/her class with learners can also be part of Curriculum Evaluation. On the other hand, an internal or external evaluator evaluating a whole curriculum covering several schools, a large number of teachers and learners, and which may additionally cover the schools’ surroundings, may also constitute Curriculum Evaluation.