Abstract
Teacher professional development (PD) programs ideally evaluate how professional learning experiences empower teachers to be effective change agents in their disciplines and communities. The Khbrat [“experiences” in Arabic] program is a year-long, global teacher PD initiative launched by the Saudi Ministry of Education. The goal is to change the mindset of Saudi teachers through immersive experiences in the U.S. K-12 schools and university academic culture so that they can participate as effective “change agents” in the transformation of Saudi schools. Our mixed-methods study examined the impact of the Khbrat program on Saudi teachers’ leadership, classroom experiences, and sociocultural levels; the findings inspire new directions for program design with key insights into teacher PD program evaluation.
Highlights
Over the last three decades, governments wanting to catalyze major educational reform have created opportunities for teachers to pursue professional development (PD) abroad to gain fresh new perspectives and effect substantive change back home
In light of the questions prompted by other researchers and the dearth of peer-reviewed research on the impact of the Khbrat experience, the overarching goal of the current research was to fill a gap and contribute to knowledge about the impact of the Khbrat professional development program on educators’ experience after their return to Saudi Arabia, with a focus on the participants’ 1) leadership development, 2) teaching techniques, and 3) personal growth
The data were collected sequentially nine months after the Khbrat educators had returned to Saudi Arabia
Summary
Over the last three decades, governments wanting to catalyze major educational reform have created opportunities for teachers to pursue professional development (PD) abroad to gain fresh new perspectives and effect substantive change back home. The Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT) has offered PD opportunities to teachers (including teachers of English) (Lamie, 2001), and South Korea has funded overseas PD experiences for its secondary teachers. Ongoing educational reforms are guided by Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Plan 2020 and Vision 2030, an ambitious social and economic initiative (Al-Maimooni, 2016). Professional development is seen as key to building teacher capacity in order to bring Saudi education into alignment with the larger social vision (Alnahdi, 2014; Al-Zaharni & Rajab, 2017)
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