Science Education Impacts on Labor Market and University Expectations of Students by Citizenship Status in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Comparative Analysis Using TIMSS 2007 Data

Abstract

This study comparatively examines the impact of students' citizenship status on science education relative to labor market and university expectations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Specifically, the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) provides science education teaching, learning and achievement data from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and each of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Bahrain, Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. Evidence suggests that the science knowledge and skills taught and learned in Saudi and other GCC schools contribute to the human capital of the students as future labor market participants and impact their future opportunity expectations relative to science. However, the results show that expectations and understanding of the labor market and university needs differ by students' national and non-national citizenship status in Saudi Arabia, in particular.