Motivations and Barriers for Saudi Nurses to Pursue a Doctoral Degree

Background/ Purpose: A shortage of Saudi PhD prepared nursing school faculty and a limited number of advanced degree programs in Saudi Arabia, are preventing the education of enough nurses to meet growing healthcare demands and the preparation of nurses for faculty roles. The purpose of this study was to identify motivating and barrier factors that may influence the decision of a nurse to seek further education at the doctorate level. Theoretical Framework: Cross’s (1981) Chain-of-Response Model was used as to guide this study and the interpretation of findings. Methods: A mixed method design was used for this study. A questionnaire was distributed to four groups of nurses using email and social media methods. A total of 161 responses were obtained from nurses working in Saudi Arabia and internationally. The analysis strategy included descriptive statistics, ANOVA, ANCOVA, and factor analysis methods. Qualitative data analysis involved creating codes and themes to create categories of responses that could be compared with the quantitative data. Findings: There was a statistically significant difference between group membership (decided and undecided PhD study) and dispositional barriers, but no statistical difference between motivation scores and gender for either group. Analysis indicated institutional barriers were more important for female nurses in pursuing higher education. The length of time in practice or experience did not statistically impact the decision to pursue a doctoral degree, nor was it associated with motivation or barrier scores, or group membership. Analysis of the qualitative data identified important motivation and barriers factors including prior success in study or work, the need to advance nursing knowledge, personal and work aspirations, and a belief in the importance of improving professional nursing and care outcomes. Support from family members, work colleagues and fellow students were important in deciding to study for a PhD. Conclusions: This study identified motivation and barrier factors that were unique to Saudi Arabian nursing students. Knowledge of these can be used to inform policy and practice aimed at increasing the number of nursing faculty necessary to grow the Saudi nursing workforce

Exploring the perceptions of Saudi business and the workforce on the Saudisation programme in the private sector

Despite being an oil-rich country, Saudi Arabia, like any other developing country, is faced with the difficulty of economic development and the creation of jobs for its growing population. Since human resources in the initial period of economic development were met with immigrant workers in Saudi Arabia, expatriates constitute a large part of the workforce in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, in responding to job creation needs, the Government of Saudi Arabia initiated the process of Saudisation, aiming to transfer the available jobs currently filled by expatriates to Saudi nationals. This research, hence, aimed to explore the perceptions of Saudisation in the private sector among employers, employees and Saudi job seekers in Saudi Arabia through a questionnaire schedule. Perceptions of Saudisation-related issues, the government’s policies to ensure Saudisation, and initiatives to enhance Saudisation were surveyed. Relevant issues, such as the type of employment competencies and personal specifications required in the private sector, and whether Saudi workers and jobseekers possessed them to an adequate level, were also explored. The research findings on perceptions of Saudisation-related issues included the willingness of employers to employ adequately qualified Saudi workers; lack of skills required in the private sector among Saudi workers and their lower productivity compared to non-Saudi workers; social prestige among Saudi workers; and the negative impact of imposed-Saudisation on the private sector. Support for the proposed government policies of minimum wage and social security policy to ensure Saudisation in the private sector and awareness among employers of their Saudisation-related social responsibility to encourage Saudisation, were found. Rewarding businesses that achieved a high level of Saudisation, increasing awareness of the importance of work among Saudis, and offering them more jobs in the private sector were initiatives advocated to enhance Saudisation. Employment competencies and person specifications required by private sector employers included IT or technology; language; vocational, management and administrative skills; continuous training and self-development; respect for work and regulations; and education with more emphasis on degree and post-secondary qualifications. Differences in the extent of agreement on all the issues were explored and fundamental differences in perceptions between employers on one hand and employees and job seekers on the other were found. Statistically significant associations were also found between employers' perceptions and their demographic and organizational characteristics (qualifications, length of tenure in organisation, type of business, size of business in terms of number of employees). These differences and associations seem supportive of the inferences and arguments made in the discussion on the main findings of the research on perceptions. The dearth of research on Saudisation, especially in the private sector, as perceived by its employers, employees and Saudi job seekers, who are the stakeholders most affected by it, render the above findings a significant contribution to knowledge on Saudisation and the localization of human resources in the Gulf Corporation Council and MENA countries

Supervision of Graduate Studies: A Case Study of Postgraduate and Academic Staff

Although the success of graduate students is heavily influenced by their supervisors, there is a lack of documented graduate student insight into their learning experience in countries with recent expansions of graduate programs. To provide rich, in-depth qualitative data on graduate student and faculty supervisor perspectives on students’ learning experiences, we conducted in-depth individual interviews with final-year graduate students and their supervisors at Najran University in Saudi Arabia. We asked participants two open-ended questions about the quality of teaching and learning in their program and how this quality could be improved. Interview transcripts were coded to identify and categorize recurring themes. We found that graduate students and their supervisors had differing perceptions of students’ learning experiences. Students indicated that the organization and development of learning experiences needed to be guided by their supervisors. Additionally, students expressed concernsregarding the main concern expressed by students as will be described in the results section with more details and more accurate reflection with the need for high-quality learning experiences. On the other hand, supervisors gave examples of effective teaching practices, including building self-confidence in student decision making. These findings could be used to develop curriculum content, support faculty use of effective teaching strategies, and improve practices in graduate programs and could further stimulate broad discussions of shared decision-making and evaluations of student and teacher performance

Qualitative Assessment of the Perceptions of Undergraduate Students and Advisors on Academic Guidance in Saudi Arabia

This paper describes the perceptions of undergraduate students and their advisors on the role and challenges of academic guidance in Saudi Arabia. For this, five focus groups comprising six to eight students and one advisor were interviewed, and their responses to four questions were qualitatively analyzed. The responses from all groups emerged in four major themes, two related to the student’s perspectives and two related to those of the advisors. Overall, the students identified the unfamiliarity with the purpose of academic guidance and a failure of their advisors to follow their progress as the primary challenges. The advisors highlighted the lack of student feedback and academic guidance training as the obstacles to successful student progress. The findings presented here suggest that universities should incorporate student and advisor feedback into the academic guidance systems to ensure student success

Driving Factors of Energy Consumption and Carbon Emissions and Their Impacts on Sustainable Development in Saudi Arabia

The author is thankful to the Deanship of Scientific Research at Najran University for funding this work through grant research code NU/SHED/15/064 (Sponsoring information). Abstract This study identifies the effects of driving factors and measuring their corresponding contribution shares in energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Saudi Arabia by employing the factor decomposition model and the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology model. The empirical results indicate that the effects of population, GDP per capita and carbon intensity on CO2 emissions are positive and significant. The results show that technological progress is the main driving factor that leads to increase energy use. Besides, increasing energy efficiency in energy consumption and investment in new technologies and renewable energies should be a good strategy to attain a sustainable development in Saudi Arabia. Keywords: Energy Consumption, Carbon Emissions, Factor Decomposition Model, STIRPAT Model, Saudi Arabi

Faculty Methods of Teaching Science to Undergraduate Girls Students in Najran University Focusing on Independent Learning Process

Most scientific process require students with skills and knowledge such as critical analysis, data interpretation, problem solving, collaborative work, oral communication, scientific writing and experimental design.  Unfortunately, most of the science college departments have a weak curriculum design for teaching and learning science undergraduates students with a traditional teaching learning methods.  However, the results show that teaching students of science with early skills and self-learning may enhance their understanding of science contents.  The research show how science teachers spent more time on teaching their girls students in Najran University, Saudi Arabia,  traditionally with no enough time spending on teaching skills due to their lack of facilities and supplements.  In addition , they are engaged in other duties in the colleges beside the need to cover their content of science curriculum. To encourage faculty to address these issues, we need to provide some methods and materials for teaching science with developed and  modern techniques  to improve students learning and self-learning process.  The study is based on students’ learning focusing on scientific process of learning science and their perception about the way the course of science were taught with no focus on the content itself.  Finally, the study recommends an implementation of teaching course to undergraduate science students with process of skills and knowledge to improve their retention of science which enhances science knowledge and practices. Keywords: science teachers, self-learning process, effective teaching and learning process, students critical thinking

Economic Growth and Environmental Degradation in Saudi Arabia

This paper has for objective to examine the effects of the economic growth, energy use and trade openness on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for the case of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by estimating what is called the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) model over the period 1970-2012. Our findings infirm the existence of EKC whereas they indicate that Saudi Arabia would be in its ascending phase of the environmental Kuznets curve. We notice that the per capita GDP and the per capita energy use increase CO2 emissions whereas trade openness does not have a significant effect on CO2 emissions. Our results suggest that growth targets should be accompanied with the measures of adaptation and strategies of development which plan limits in energy use and CO2 emissions in Saudi Arabia. Keywords: Economic growth; Energy use, CO2 emissions; environmental Kuznets curve; Saudi Arabia

Foreign Direct Investments and Economic Growth in Saudi Arabia: A Cointegration Analysis

This study used the Johansen cointegration framework to evaluate the causal relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic growth in Saudi Arabia during 1970-2012. By referring to endogenous growth theory and integrating an analysis of two additional variables of domestic capital investment and trade openness, the results show that there is at minimum a long-run relationship between FDI inflows, economic growth, domestic capital investment and trade openness. Moreover, Granger causality tests showed that FDI inflows promote both short- and long-term economic growth. As such, FDI has factored into improvements in the Saudi Arabia economic situation mainly since 2000. This result supports the FDI-led growth hypothesis of endogenous growth theory. Keywords: FDI inflows, economic growth, domestic capital investment, trade openness, Johansen cointegration approach, Saudi Arabia

Adaptive Equalization: LMS, RLS and CMA

This poster presents performance evaluation of adaptive equalizers (LMS, RLS and CMA) using different Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) techniques (4-QAM, 8-QAM); using Frequency Flat Fading and Frequency Selective Fading

Effectiveness of a Training Program to Qualify Home-economics Female Graduates to Start Small Businesses

This study aims to prepare a training program to qualify the female graduates to start small businesses, and to investigate the validity of the program in acquiring knowledge and skills through making handicrafts. The experimental method was used in this study. The instruments of the study are the training program, achievement test, skill test and assessment measure. The skills of the study are limited to preparing furniture for children’s rooms: Curtains, tapestry, quilt, cover of tissue box, toy box, table cloths, box for keeping pens, pillows and floor pillows. The study resulted in the effectiveness of the training program conducted in this study to qualify the Home-economics female graduates to establish small businesses and to make use of their skills and competencies for making progress in economic development and community service. Keywords: effectiveness, training program, home economics, graduates, small businesses