Utilizing the Interactive Reading Model in a Continuing Education Course

This paper seeks to provide an alternative method of reading instruction to female Saudi Arabian university students enrolled in a continuing education class for banking. Rather than a teacher-centered approach that relies on textbooks for materials development, a student-centered approach has been utilized in order to encourage participation, allowing the learners to have more input in the learning process. The use of student-generated materials allows for an authentic medium of communication, enabling students to practice their language learning skills using topics of social and personal relevance. From a teaching perspective, this is extremely important; it can increase students’ motivation, stepping away from generic texts, which may have no relevance for an individual student. When students create the materials from their own experiences, they have a point of origin, which they understand, and a sense of ownership in their own learning process. Beginning with a brief overview of the traditional methods of reading instruction in Saudi Arabia and some of the (negative) results, and moving to the particular reasons why reading poses such difficulties to students in Saudi Arabia, the author focuses on three main approaches. The use of the interactive reading model, student-generated, and authentic materials is explained followed by sample lesson plans to see how these approaches can be implemented within the classroom. The author will also include her evaluation and experience implementing these lessons

Universities in Arab countries

Half the Arab universitiies in existence today were established after 1970. Enrolment has increased rapidly, leading to overcrowding, unqualified faculty, and insufficient equipment and facilities. Several Arab nations have moved to control (in some cases, to reduce) enrolment. They have done this partly because of the fall in oil revenues, and partly in recognition of the problems related to the rapid growth of the university systems. As student enrolment expanded rapidly, the quality of education suffered and many universities became less attractive to highly trained faculty. This pattern has contributed to the national and regional brain drain. The cost of underwriting university education at a time of slow economic expansion raises the issue of whether it is better to have unemployed high school graduates or unemployed university graduates.Teaching and Learning,Gender and Education,Tertiary Education,Girls Education,Curriculum&Instruction

Culture, Wasta and perceptions of performance appraisal in Saudi Arabia

This article explores the relationship between Arabic culture and employees’ perceptions of performance appraisal in a Saudi Arabian company named SACO. Using an interpretive and qualitative methodological framework, the article suggests that Western models of performance appraisal rooted in rationality and objectivity conflict with aspects of Saudi Arabian culture. Specifically, the personal relations implicated in the social practice of Wasta. However, the article also shows how SACO employees are beginning to reject Saudi Arabian cultural norms and adopt alternative values which are linked to notions of organisational justice and individual egalitarianism. These values are compatible with Western models of performance appraisal

Spartan Daily, November 10, 1980

Volume 75, Issue 50https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/6686/thumbnail.jp

Does Saudi Society and the School Community Affect the Improvement of Critical Thinking Skills in Saudi Arabian Elementary Schools?

The intent of this explanatory sequential mixed-method study is to examine Islamic teachers’ thoughts on improving critical thinking skills in elementary schools in the Southwestern province of Saudi Arabia. This study involves the collection of quantitative data and an explanation of the quantitative results with qualitative data. In the first phase, a survey was administered to Islamic teachers in Saudi elementary schools to assess their opinions on improving students’ critical thinking skills and to identify the factors that influence or hinder their implementation of critical thinking instruction. In the second phase, qualitative data was collected using semistructured interviews with a number of Islamic teachers in order to explore more fully their perceptions toward improving students’ critical thinking skills in Saudi elementary schools. The study’s findings suggest there is a need to also examine female Islamic teachers’ perceptions toward critical thinking in the Southwestern region of Saudi Arabia in order to identify the similarities and differences between the perceptions of male and female teachers

EVALUATING THE MADRASATI PLATFORM FOR THE VIRTUAL CLASSROOM IN SAUDI ARABIAN EDUCATION DURING THE TIME OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The platforms are the pinnacle of technology and digital development in the 21st century. However, until the global COVID-19 pandemic, most schools did not employ these platforms as new teaching and learning methods. The Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia established the Madrasati Platform as the new gateway to distance-teaching and learning for all Saudi' education levels from 1st to 12th grade in the new academic year 2020-2021. This platform is one of the most essential programmes in Saudi Arabia, and is related to many supplemental educational tools. The data involved in this study was collected from three teachers. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the Madrasati Platform in relation to Saudi teachers' perceptions of its use as the primary distance learning platform, and its advantages and disadvantages. The main findings are firstly that teachers should possess technical knowledge about how to use this platform, which highlighted the need for intense training courses for both teachers and students in order to create and foster a successful educational environment. The Madrasati Platform is an integrated platform designed to meet the needs of all of the parties involved. However, students typically neglect to attend the asynchronous virtual classroom on the platform (iEN channels and other uploaded videos) and focus only on the synchronously virtual (live) classroom on Teams. Therefore, this paper presents some recommendations to the Saudi Arabian education stakeholders for improved platform development, and also proposes paths for future research. Article visualizations

An Analysis Case Study: Experiences of the Faculty Members during the Program Accreditation Process in Saudi Arabian Higher Education

Abstract The purpose of this dissertation was to understand the experiences of the faculty members during the accreditation process, and the outcomes they have seen in the Early Childhood program at the College of Education at Princess Nourah University (PNU). The research questions developed for achieving the aim of the study were: What are the experiences of faculty members during the program accreditation process, and what outcomes do they see in Saudi Arabian higher education? The methodology of this study was a qualitative case study, which highlighted the faculty experiences and outcomes of accreditation. The Early Childhood program in PNU was selected for this study, because of its accessibility, and its current state in the accreditation process—having just initiated the process itself. The participants who were interviewed included 12 female faculty members who had an active involvement in the accreditation process in this program at PNU. Data collection in this study consisted of using various methods, namely including document analysis, observation, and semi-structured interviews. Proper comprehension of the impact of the accreditation processes in Saudi universities demands a combination of theories based mainly on institutional isomorphism and institutional entrepreneurship theories. The findings of this study describe the issues and challenges in adopting the accreditation process in the faculties and their impacts on quality learning. Therefore, these findings infer that faculty members should be consulted and trained before any of these accreditation processes are implemented. However, by adopting accreditation, and enrolling more higher education institutions in accreditation processes, Saudi Arabia can curb many of the criticisms it currently faces with regards to its academic standards and quality of education