Saudi Arabia’s Education Reform: How School Leaders Can Foster Positive Change

With Saudi Arabia’s nationwide school reforms through the Vision 2030 program, it is important for the country’s teachers to be able to successfully implement change.  Unfortunately, many education systems around the globe struggle with reform due to teacher resistance stemming from such issues as a lack of resources and insufficient support from school leaders.  In this study, four female teachers in Saudi Arabia responded to open-ended interview questions regarding the challenges of implementing school reforms and the ways in which school leaders help the teachers navigate reforms successfully.  Data revealed themes in the teachers’ descriptions of reform challenges to include: too many responsibilities placed on teachers, a lack of resources, and a lack of shared decision-making.  In participant descriptions of the ways school leaders can be more effective, themes included providing more guidance and encouragement, collaborating and communicating with teachers, having awareness of unique needs at each school, providing more resources for implementing change, and showing more appreciation for teacher efforts. Keywords: Teachers, Leadership, Reforms, Saudi Arabia, Vision 203

ICT policy appropriation: Teachers as transformative ICT agents

This qualitative instrumental case study set out to explore how the national e-Education policy is appropriated by teachers in South African schools. The meta-theoretical paradigm was social constructivism and the research strategy of inquiry utilised backward mapping principles. A socio-cultural approach to policy analysis and emancipatory theory provided the theoretical framings of this study. The case study design included a mix of data collection methods namely, interviews, classroom observations, document analysis and a researcher journal. Findings revealed that the existence of an “invisible national E-education policy” served as a catalyst for teacher agency in the formulation and implementation of a school ICT policy. Second, a change in the implementation paradigm of these teachers highlighted their role as transformative ICT agents. Their stance shifted from being merely conduits of policy, to becoming proactive socio-cultural actors in the formulation and appropriation of a school-based policy. Third, a new construct to policy appropriation emerged, namely the ignorance of teachers about the national e-Education policy led to their practice informing policy. Teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, will and professionalism are key to ICT policy formulation. Teachers’ experiences of policy implementation are valuable assets that should be incorporated in the formulation of policy

What Does an Anthropologist of Educational Policy Do? Methodological Considerations

Although Margaret Mead (Hughes, 1952; Mead, 1961), Manuel Gamio (1916), and other leaders of 20th-century anthropology often made pronouncements regarding what schooling should and shouldn\u27t do-in essence proposing to be educational policymakers of a sort-the turn of anthropology to the study of policy and particularly education policy is relatively new (Shore & Wright, 1997). It follows that what an anthropologist of educational policy implementation should do is therefore not yet depicted all that clearly or in detail. The groundbreaking work of Sutton and Levinson (2001) and their contributing authors in some senses stands out as an important exception to that claim, but its task was more to theorize why this subfield should develop rather than to explicate particular methodological moves, although it does often accomplish the latter. (See in particular Quiroz [2001] and Sutton [2001] for lengthier treatments of methodology.) The easiest way to illuminate what an anthropologist of educational policy implementation does is to share examples of it, and most of this chapter is constituted by autobiographic depictions of three cases-the first from Thirusellvan Vandeyar\u27s study of technology education policy implementation in South Africa and the second two from Edmund Ted Hamann related to the creation of a novel binational educational project in Georgia (USA) and to Maine\u27s and Puerto Rico\u27s implementation of a short-lived federal education initiative known as the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) project

Reading on paper or reading digitally? Reflections and implications of ePIRLS 2016 in South Africa

South Africa participated in the electronic version of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (ePIRLS) in 2016 but faced many challenges during implementation. Accurate databases on information and communication technologies (ICT) capacity of schools were not available for sampling in Gauteng, many schools had old and/or non-functional hardware and half of the schools had not used their computer laboratories in the last 3 years. Consequently, South Africa was excluded from the international report as the study requirements could not be met. In this paper we examine the implications of the problems experienced in the ePIRLS multiple case study, conducted in 9 schools (n = 277) in Gauteng. Multilevel models were built using data from the nationally representative Grade 4 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) data from 2011 (n = 15,744) and 2016 (n = 12,810). In the 2016 national study, principals and teachers reported fewer computers and libraries being available for learners than were reported in 2011. Computers and paper-based libraries being available were not significant predictors of reading literacy. Instead, the medium of instruction in the Foundation Phase, school location, gender, and socioeconomic composition of the school predicted reading literacy achievement. The ePIRLS results show no significant difference between paper-based and online reading. While issues of poverty, gender inequality, and historical disadvantage persist, Grade 4 learners may lack adequate opportunities to acquire paper and digital reading skills. We conclude that the most disadvantaged learners have increasingly insufficient opportunities and resources available to attain basic reading skills and this will have negative long-term consequences for South Africa’s educational sector and economy.Keywords: digital and online reading literacy; ePIRLS; ICT; multilevel modelling; PIRLS; reading comprehension; South African primary school

Information and communication technology (ICT) skills and job satisfaction of primary education teachers in the context of Covid-19. Theoretical model

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that educational systems must have an online component or even a substitute. However, the efforts for this necessary transition fall largely on the teaching staff, who have been forced to quickly adapt their activities to a virtual environment. In this study, a theoretical model for analyzing how teachers’ information and communications technology (ICT) skills and the integration of these technologies influence the improvement of teaching and teacher job satisfaction is introduced. The model also pays special attention to the gender gap related to the use of ICT in teaching. At the empirical level, the model is validated on a sample of 257 Spanish primary school teachers, using the partial least squares (PLS) structural equation method. The results of the analysis show that, although the teachers’ ICT skills help them improve their teaching activities, such skills do not have a direct impact on teachers’ job satisfaction. However, teachers who integrate ICTs into their teaching activities not only improve their results and lighten their workload but also enjoy higher job satisfaction, which translates into more motivated and committed teachers. In addition, teachers’ ICT skills influence job satisfaction in different ways depending on gender. Although, for female teachers, the integration of ICT increases their job satisfaction, the results show that, for male teachers, this integration should generate improvements in teaching to yield enhanced job satisfaction. As the main implication, it is recommended to invest in teachers’ ICT skills, as these lead to enhanced efficiency and motivation and enable the change toward an ICT-based teaching model.

Covid-19 as a Catalyst for Digital Transformation in Higher Education: Insights for Rural-based Universities in South Africa

The Covid-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown regulations suddenly elevated the importance of blended learning in South Africa and worldwide. This has prompted various international and national institutions into action, providing various support services to enhance fast digital adoption in higher education and facilitate out of classroom learning. In this regard, this paper views the pandemic as a necessary evil that can catalyse the adoption of digital learning, particularly, in rural-based universities of South Africa that have been lagging in the digital education front. The paper reviews recent literature and document opportunities that are emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic. These opportunities can assist rural-based universities to sustainably adopt blended learning, catch up with the elite universities, and bridge the digital divide that is still apparent in South Africa. The paper is based on a review of articles, educational policy documents, and government gazettes. The Atlasti version 8 software was utilised to synthesise the literature. It was concluded that various opportunities exist for rural-based universities. To enhance effective digital transformation in rural-based universities, there is a need for alignment of national policy with realities in different institutions, improve human digital apprehension capacity, and increase collaborations between education technologists and education institutions as well as behavioural change among higher education managers. These changes can enable rural-based universities to build on the opportunities presented by the pandemic and digitalise their education programs to align with the inevitable demands of the 4th industrial revolution. Keywords: Covid-19, Blended Learning, Higher Education, Rural-based Universitie

ICT policy appropriation : teachers as transformative ICT agents

This qualitative instrumental case study set out to explore how the national e-Education policy is appropriated by teachers in South African schools. The meta-theoretical paradigm was social constructivism and the research strategy of inquiry utilised backward mapping principles. A socio-cultural approach to policy analysis and emancipatory theory provided the theoretical framings of this study. The case study design included a mix of data collection methods namely, interviews, classroom observations, document analysis and a researcher journal. Findings revealed that the existence of an “invisible national E-education policy” served as a catalyst for teacher agency in the formulation and implementation of a school ICT policy. Second, a change in the implementation paradigm of these teachers highlighted their role as transformative ICT agents. Their stance shifted from being merely conduits of policy, to becoming proactive socio-cultural actors in the formulation and appropriation of a school-based policy. Third, a new construct to policy appropriation emerged, namely the ignorance of teachers about the national e-Education policy led to their practice informing policy. Teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, will and professionalism are key to ICT policy formulation. Teachers’ experiences of policy implementation are valuable assets that should be incorporated in the formulation of policy.http://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pieam2022Science, Mathematics and Technology Educatio

The myths and realities of Generational Cohort Theory on ICT Integration in Education: A South African Perspective

There is an assumption that the younger cohort of teachers who are considered to be digital natives will be able to integrate technology into their teaching spaces with ease. This study aims to determine if there is a difference between generational cohorts with respect to ICT (Information Communication Technology) integration in classrooms among South African teachers. There is a paucity of research on ICT integration in education with respect to generational cohorts. This study involved a secondary analysis of two primary data sets, which contained qualitative and quantitative data. The quantitative data revealed that there are few statistical differences between the generations with respect to their ICT usage in the classroom. However, the qualitative data revealed that younger cohorts of teachers appear to be highly concerned about classroom management, while a recurring theme amongst all cohorts was the lack of access and time

‘Windows’ on Teachers’ Beliefs and Attitudes about School ICT Policy Statements

Evidence from research, policy and practice reveals that information and communication technology (ICT) does improve teaching and learning. Recent studies have shifted focus to acknowledge teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about ICT as the factor that determines change in classroom practice. The inclusion of teachers in developing a school-based ICT policy that mirrors their beliefs and attitudes may pave the way for successful ICT integration. However, there is a death of research that explicates exactly how to develop policy that is inclusive of all teachers at a school. This study used an interpretivist paradigm to explore teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about school ICT policy statements. Using an exploratory case study design that was grounded in Q-methodology provided the ideal setting for the systematic study of subjectivity of policy. Data was garnered through Q-sorts, interviews and analysed by means Q-methodology factor analysis methods. Findings were threefold: First, Q-methodology enables policy makers and practitioners to experience both real differences in discourse and consensus of opinion. Second given the opportunity, teachers have the inherent ability to deconstruct and critically engage with policy statements according to their own professional beliefs and attitudes. Third, teachers as previously excluded actors may be included in the policy decision making process and a school-based ICT policy may be formulated to represent a shared vision of all teachers. And, fourth Q-methodology offers education policy analyst an opportunity to gain insight into the beliefs, attitudes, opinions and values of different actors in policy analysis studies. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n14p33

Reading on paper or reading digitally? Reflections and implications of ePIRLS 2016 in South Africa

South Africa participated in the electronic version of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (ePIRLS) in 2016 but faced many challenges during implementation. Accurate databases on information and communication technologies (ICT) capacity of schools were not available for sampling in Gauteng, many schools had old and/or non-functional hardware and half of the schools had not used their computer laboratories in the last 3 years. Consequently, South Africa was excluded from the international report as the study requirements could not be met. In this paper we examine the implications of the problems experienced in the ePIRLS multiple case study, conducted in 9 schools (n = 277) in Gauteng. Multilevel models were built using data from the nationally representative Grade 4 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) data from 2011 (n = 15,744) and 2016 (n = 12,810). In the 2016 national study, principals and teachers reported fewer computers and libraries being available for learners than were reported in 2011. Computers and paper-based libraries being available were not significant predictors of reading literacy. Instead, the medium of instruction in the Foundation Phase, school location, gender, and socioeconomic composition of the school predicted reading literacy achievement. The ePIRLS results show no significant difference between paper-based and online reading. While issues of poverty, gender inequality, and historical disadvantage persist, Grade 4 learners may lack adequate opportunities to acquire paper and digital reading skills. We conclude that the most disadvantaged learners have increasingly insufficient opportunities and resources available to attain basic reading skills and this will have negative long-term consequences for South Africa’s educational sector and economy.Tthe Department of Basic Education (DBE)http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.zahj2020Science, Mathematics and Technology Educatio