The Islamic University- Gaza Deanery of Higher Education Faculty of ...

school principals and teachers is needed to make such experiment more successful andefficient.The second study was carried out by Sabri (1997) to assess the effectiveness of the firstnational in-service training programme conducted in 1991-1994 in the West Bank and GazaStrip. The total number of teachers participated in this programme was 700 teachers enrolledin six universities in the West Bank and Gaza City. However, the study sample includedteachers who were trained only in Birzeit University in (1993). Data were collected through aquestionnaire which required teachers to evaluate the three courses content from their pointof views ordering them from the most important to the least important. Data analysis showedthat the programme content as a whole was perceived to be positive and successful. Theresearcher concluded the study emphasizing issues as practicability, needs assessment, andteacher involvement.To sum up, within the first category, 27 studies were reviewed. These studies wereconducted in various countries including Palestine, Colombia, Taiwan, UAE, America,Nepal, Egypt, Mexico, Turkey, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. This variety reflects theimportance assigned to teachers in service training programmes all over the world. All the 27reviewed studies counted on teachers' reactions when evaluating the programme effectivenesswhich is the most common trend in INSET literature today. These studies adopted descriptiveanalytic methods and employed questionnaires and interviews as main data collection tools.Among the 27 reviewed studies, 13 studies have yielded negative results due to severalinsufficiencies as theoretical orientation, lack of teacher involvement and lack of systematicongoing follow up and support. Hence, within their recommendations, these studieshighlighted important issues as practicality, school based, needs assessment and teacherinvolvement.- 67 -